Bella Enchanted
by LauraLover
Summary: Bella Swan is cursed to a life of obedience, helpless to anyone's order. After her mother's death Bella must ward off those that would use the curse against her. With a new home in Forks and the help of the mysterious Cullens can she finally find freedom?
1. Cursed Through and Through

My childhood was a blur of cities, each gradually larger than the next. Looking back now, I realize that it made it easier for a person with my situation to feel hidden – to completely disappear. One small girl in a city of over one and half million people seemed like good odds. I could exist and go unnoticed…at least that's what I hoped.

Phoenix was the last city I lived in with Renee, my mom. Out of the countless other cities, I'm glad Phoenix was the city I would best remember her in. I loved the heat, and the shape of the land. I loved how free we felt, and the pressure that no longer lay on Renee's shoulders – the need to constantly be at my side; to protect me. My school held over 500 other students in my year alone, and by keeping my head down and mouth shut I knew I could manage to get through my high school experience safely. No one would ever know about my condition.

When Renee got sick, everything changed. Months of hospitals, pills, chemotherapy, radiation, and none of it did any good.

I remember the doctor standing outside her room, his old wrinkled hand on my shoulder and a look of professional sympathy upon his withered face.

"I'm sorry, Bella, there's nothing left that we can do. All we can do now is make her comfortable with the time she has left."

He left me standing in the middle of the hall, my whole world crashing around me. My arms folded automatically across my chest, holding in the hurt and the scream that tried to bubble from my lips. I must have stayed in that one spot for 10 minutes as my mind tried to wrap around the fact that my mother was going to die. The moment took on a dream like quality; my head felt light and airy, and I was suddenly dizzy. I wondered for a second if I was going to faint. I stepped into Renee's room and stood by her bed, listening intently to the beeping from the monitors.

At that moment, the beeping from the heart monitor was the most significant sound in the world. It sickened me. It was the taunting noise that told me she was still here, still alive, but for how long? Would the next beep be the last? The next one?

Renee's face was a sickly shade of white, slightly bloated from the medication and her breathing was too shallow. Her eyes slid open so slowly I wasn't sure she was truly awake. She lifted her frail hand slowly and reached for me. I took it and sat down, trying my best to not trip on the countless tubes and wires hanging around her hospital bed. We sat for how long, I don't know, just smiling at eachother. I stared at her face, absorbing last little detail.

This wasn't her, not this small, frail woman lying in a bed of tubes. I pictured her as she used to be: long brown, curly hair, pink cheeks and large brown eyes – my eyes. Laughing, joking, running, dancing. That was Renee.

"Do you remember," I whispered, pushing what was left of her fine thin behind her ear. "That time we went to the zoo, and they were having free rides on the elephant, and I was so frightened to go on that I started screaming? I scared the elephant so bad that he got away from the handler and trampled the hot dog stand."

She let out a breathy sigh and smiled wide. She nodded, lifting her hand to my cheek, rubbing away the tears I hadn't known I'd shed.

"And that time when went to see that scary movie with that bald actor in it. The first time a ghost came on screen, we both ran out of the theatre, trailing the M&M's and the Twizzlers we had snuck into the theatre in our purses."

She let out the same breathy laugh, never taking her eyes off of mine. She was staring so hard, like she was trying to memorize each line of my face.

"Bella," she whispered. She tried her best to get the breath to speak, but even her quiet voice was splintered by wheezing gasps of breath. "Never tell anyone about the curse, Bella," she stopped to take a large gasp of breath, but her eyes had the same knowing determination in them when she had first explained the damning curse that had been placed on me. "Someone could use it against you….to control you. Don't tell anyone, not even your father."

I would obey. Not that I had a choice. I was cursed with an unending obedience; powerless to any order given to me. I'm not sure how it had happened, or if I had actually been born like this, I just knew it was a constant danger to my life, I was at the mercy of anyone I encountered.

I lay down next to my mother on the cramped hospital bed, still holding her frail hand. Her head fell slightly onto my shoulder, her thin hair covering one side of her face. I rested my cheek gently on the crown of her head, reclining onto the uncomfortable mattress. Her breaths soon slowed and she fell asleep. The past few sleepless nights seem to come crashing down all at once, until I could no longer keep my eyes open.

My psyche must have been too tired to form the brilliant nightmares I had become accustomed to. My mind floundered in almost complete darkness, until a short dream played out almost like a last minute thought. Through binocular like vision, I saw my mother running away from me through a field of purple freesia – her arms and legs tan like they used to be, her hair thick and curly. She turned and waved, laughing at the purely blissful moment, like a joke I couldn't quite understand. The binocular vision pushed her farther and farther towards the horizon until the blackness swallowed me up again.

I woke the next morning to the quiet cry from the heart monitor as it let out one endless wail. My mothers hand lay limp in my own as I screamed.

biNotes/b

EDITED DECEMBER 2011

I usually don't write disclaimers at the beginning of my stories – this is a FAN FICTION site; none of us own any characters. If we did it would not be a FAN FICTION, and therefore it would not even be posted on this site. But since I know I'm going to like this story and I would be very upset for it to be taken down for something as insignificant as not including a disclaimer to my story, I am going to add one here and now:

No, I do not own Twilight.

And no, I do not own Bella Enchanted.


	2. My Mothers Funeral

I honestly had not spent more than two consecutive days with my dad, Charlie, since before my parents had separated when I was three. Between Renee's hate for cold, dreary weather (Charlie lived in upper Washington) and trying to keep me hidden from anyone else who would be around enough notice the curse, she felt she had enough reason to avoid visiting my father. I never understood why Charlie wasn't supposed to know, but Renee would always change subjects when ever I brought it up. I think her over protectiveness was a major role in the separation I had from my father.

Inadvertently, the curse had formed a second sort of curse to go along with it – a byproduct of the first: loneliness; for me, and for Renee. Renee was convinced that anyone who was aware of the curse would surely use it against me. Because of that, my contact with the outside world was minimal outside of school. She had my best intentions in mind, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I wonder how else we might have managed. I also realize that I had taken away my mother's only chance of finding love again. Or possibly returning to it…I'll never be sure. Charlie was one of the few subjects my mother would never talk to me about.

Charlie arrived in Phoenix the day of Renee's death. I had left the hospital in our old black Sable after the doctors assured me that they would arrange the transfer of Renee's body to the local funeral home. I don't remember the ride home. I don't remember going in the house or starting to make lunch. It was mechanical, my body acted out of its own will. I had made two sandwiches, one burnt to a crisp with cheese and tomato, the other slightly toasted with cheese and mayonnaise, just the way Renee liked it. That's when the real crying started. I leaned against our refrigerator and slid to the floor, crying until I couldn't catch my breath and I was sure I was going to throw up. That's where I stayed until Charlie pulled up in our driveway.

I heard the rented car pull up and park, a single honk sounding. I ran to the door and haphazardly through my self through it as Charlie jumped out of the car and met me halfway. He pulled me into his arms and we both started crying. It was the first real hug I ever remember receiving from him. There was no unsure hesitation or awkward feelings. It felt different from the hugs Renee gave. It was tender, but firm. I felt protected. I felt safe. After a few minutes, I pulled away and we walked inside, both of our faces shining with tears.

The next 72 hours were a complete blur. Charlie seemed to sense my unattached state of mind and took care of all the arrangements I needed between the funeral and boxing up all of my belongings. What was left of the house was being divided between things I may want later on, the local Salvation Army, and the garbage. Without a history of long conversations from the visits we had had in the past, we were all but silent around each other. It wasn't an awkward silence, but it left too much time to think. It left too much time to remember my mom.

Charlie stayed the night in the house, him on the pink floral couch Renee had picked out during one of her interior design stages, and me on my old mattress in my room. The house seemed different, almost too still. Something was missing - something that I would never feel again in this house. I wouldn't miss it, not now, not after everything that had happened since we had lived here. It was the first time I would be leaving a town or a house because of something other than the curse. I would much rather it was though.

It was fitting that it should rain the day of the funeral. The sky rumbled and flashed all night long as I lie on the overly soft mattress. Sleep was impossible. With the memorial service at 10, I finally pulled myself out of bed at 6. My room was completely packed up at this point, nothing but a small suitcase of clothing for today and tomorrow and my bag of toiletries remained. I took a long time in the shower, standing underneath the scorching water for an hour. I felt so numb…like I was sleepwalking. None of it felt real to me. I came downstairs to find Charlie, looking as ruffled and sleep deprived as I was. We sat at the old kitchen table, meditating on the small bowls of Cheerios rather than eating them. Charlie kept stealing glances at me, and I was sure there was something he wanted to say but he couldn't find the words. Maybe that's how I felt too. I wanted to say something. I wanted to scream and cry and blame him and blame myself. I wanted to blame God and ask him why he was punishing me when he had already ruined our lives. I wanted to hit something until it hurt like I did, to beat it down till it felt as crushed as I felt. Instead I sat motionless in the cushioned wooden chair, staring at my soggy Cherrios.

Charlie wore an old black suit; a little tight in places, a little baggy in others, but he cleaned up nicely. I wore the only appropriate dress I had – black cap-sleeved cotton with a small row of black lace around the neck line and the bottom. I don't remember getting dressed. I don't know how we got to the funeral. In giant flashes in time, I saw myself in the long row of mourners walking toward the burial site. In the next I was standing beside her grave, almost unable to breathe. It was like my mind was unable to comprehend what was taking place so it showed me flashes of what I was missing. I didn't care, I didn't want to see.

Renee's funeral was a small and quiet affair. The few family members and friends we had managed to keep in touch with over the years, minus those who were unable to make the trip to Phoenix, kept the ceremony very intimate. The twenty or so funeral goers all held identical black umbrellas as they listened to a pastor drone on about a woman that could possibly be made out to be Renee. The words 'warm and gentle woman', 'caring mother and wonderful friend' seemed too obtuse to be used to describe someone like Renee. So many other adjectives that could more accurately describe what sort of person she was were left unsaid. Fun-loving, eccentric, forgetful, beautiful, spontaneous, compassionate, protective. I wanted to push him out of the way and tell everyone about our picnics on the beach and movie nights with carmelcorn and 7Up, about Renee's ability to always get us lost, even when we were just going down the street. Anger suddenly overcame me. I wanted to step forward and yell at the pastor. I wanted to scream and him and pound my fists on his chest. Tell him that if he was going to speak about my mother, then he had to say it right. Instead, the tears I had held back all day erupted.

I stood for several moments as hiccupping sobs racked my body. Charlie stepped behind me and gently laid his hand on my shoulder but didn't say a word. What was there to say? Are there any words in the entire world that would have made me feel better? Was there some magical force that could pull all the anger and sadness out of my body? It was too much; it was all just too much.

Everyone turned their attention from the pastor to me, their eyes filled with so much pity that I couldn't take it. I turned and ran. I tripped over something, probably my own feet, but before anyone could come to help me I was already up and running again.

I ran like I've never run before. The cemetery was gigantic; winding paths crisscrossed here and there, threatening to let you get lost in their maze. That's exactly what I did: I got lost. I turned here and there, not caring which paved walkway led where. I lost myself, crying and running, my shoes sliding on the cobbled path. I lost my footing twice, falling harshly to my knees, but I didn't stop. I felt the trickle of blood running down from my right knee and I welcomed the pain, anything to distract me, to release something of the hurt. I ran till the stitch in my side wouldn't allow me to run anymore.

I came upon an enormous willow tree with a small wooden bench balanced at its roots. I threw myself recklessly onto the bench, bruising my legs even more and scraping my hands on the ancient wood. I pulled my knees up and cried. I cried until there were no more tears.

Fork, Washington. I could hardly remember the town that I had been born in, but it was amazing how well it seemed to remember me. As Charlie and I drove through town in his police cruiser, people seemed to sense the long lost daughter of the police chief draw near. Heads turned to follow our car through town, and people waved at stop lights. It was hard to imagine the next few years in such a small town. There was no way for me to hide.

The silence between Charlie and me which I had thought was a comfortable one, had turned uncomfortable. It wasn't a terribly long drive from the airport we had flown into in Seattle to Forks, but we had barely spoken a word.

We pulled up to the house a little after ten. The same little brick driveway was still in place, along with the small trees at either end. I was surprised to see the front yard looking very neat. There were no weeds in the little rock garden facing the front porch, and the bushes on either side were newly trimmed. The house was the same egg shell color with blue shutters and paler blue curtains visible through the glass. I looked at Charlie in time to see his anxious face turn away from me.

"The house looks great," I offered, smiling as much of a smile I could muster. We both stepped out of the cruiser and focused on the house.

He looked away embarrassed, "I wanted to make it look nice for you; you haven't been here in a long time."

I put my head down and suddenly felt ashamed. It hadn't been my choice to stay away from my father for so long, but I couldn't help feeling sorry for all the years Renee and I had left him alone. Batchelor life didn't seem ill suited to Charlie at all, but I would never know how he had truly been the past 14 years. I went to the back of the cruiser as Charlie popped the trunk. I reached into the packed trunk and started to pull out one of my suitcases.

"Let me get the boxes up to your room, go inside and look around, I'll be inside in a minute," Charlie called from the side of car, pulling one of my boxes from the backseat.

A command: I had to do as I was told. I dropped the suitcase from halfway out of the trunk and walked inside. And so it started. The first order I had been given from Charlie, and it had only been a few hours at my new home. I had no idea what sort of person Charlie was like, but I could tell he wasn't the sort of person to jokingly boss me around or order me about. Anything he would tell me to do would be 'for-your-own-good' sort of orders like 'bundle up' or 'don't be out too late'. The sort of orders that wouldn't hurt anything but my own pride; I hated not feeling in control of my own decisions.

I walked inside and looked around like I had been told to do. The living room was cream colored with dark colored couches, a very unused fireplace and a TV. I walked closer to the fireplace and looked at the array of photo frames along the mantle. I cringed as I saw photos of me from age five to sixteen. Somehow I would have to talk Charlie into taking these down.

The kitchen had butter yellow cabinets and a speckled brown counter top. It looked like the kitchen had undergone a renovation in the past few years since everything looked relatively new. I took a look inside the freezer and fridge and cringed again. Unless I wanted to spend the next few years eating nothing but fish or eggs, I would be the one in charge of cooking. The other cabinets held an array of cereals and easy snacks like crackers and snack bars.

I heard a grunt from the front room as Charlie pushed open the door, loaded down with most of the contents of the car. I took a step forward instinctively to try to grab one of the teetering boxes and the curse instantly made me stop. A deep sharp pain shot through my torso and I suddenly remembered that Charlie had said 'Let me get the boxes up to your room'. It was mistakes like this that often made me fall victim to the curse's form of punishment. Sometimes it was intense nausea, sometimes it was severe cramping in my chest and abdomen, and sometimes it was this sharp pain, like shoving a needle through my sternum. I gasped as I took a step back and pulled my hands away; my symptoms instantly stopped. I heard the boxes fall to the floor as Charlie rushed forward.

"Are you alright?" He asked, putting a worried hand on my shoulder.

I nodded, knowing I probably looked a sight. My forehead was slightly sweaty from the intensity of the attack, and I knew I was pale. I shook a little as I breathed in, trying to shake of the anxiety I felt.

"Here, sit down. What happened?" He directed me to the couch and I fell into its overly soft cushions. He kneeled down on the floor by me and put the back o his hand to my forehead.

"I – I just had a sharp pain in my chest," I answered truthfully. "It's gone now."

"Do you need me to take you to the doctor?" He asked, looking uncertain of what to do.

"No, no I'm alright, I feel better. Thanks."

He continued to look at me anxiously, "Why don't you take it easy for a minute. You've had a long couple of months, you need to rest. I'll get something to go in town tonight, maybe Chinese?"

I smiled and nodded, pulling my legs up onto couch. "Thanks, dad that sounds great."

He picked up the boxes on the floor and made his way up to my room, glancing worriedly in my direction as he turned on the stairs. I lie my head down on the back of the couch and closed my eyes. If only Renee hadn't told me to not tell anyone – Charlie might be able to help me or at least he would understand the curse itself. If only she had told me how to break the curse instead of simply trying to protect me. If only she hadn't died.

I bit my lip as I did my best to hold back the tears. How long would I able to last without her?

**Notes**

REWRITE DECEMBER 2011

I almost made this chapter to end up exactly like the funeral scene from Bella Enchanted – the prince (Edward) attending the funeral and comforting Ella (Bella) which is the beginning of their relationship. I even reasoned that it would have made sense since Renee lived in Forks and may have gotten to know the Cullens. But then I realized that Bella and Renee had not lived in Forks since Bella was 3. For the Cullens to remain in Forks for 14 years and not aged may have seemed a little strange.

Check out my page for upcoming pictures and updates from **Bella Enchanted, From the Dust and Sparkle and Fade.**


	3. Classroom Sob Stories

Altogether I had started over at a new school eleven times. Most of them had all occurred when I was in elementary school, when kids were more forceful with the way they spoke to each other. Demands like "Give me that toy!" were daily occurrences that when directed at me were noticeable. It didn't take the kids long to realize there was something different about me, and they used that against me. As soon as my curse became apparent, Renee would up and move us again.

Middle school and high school were different. It became easier to go unnoticed in the crowded hallways and loud classrooms. It seemed that the curse always found a way to draw attention though. Renee and I moved twice in middle school and once in high school before ending up in Phoenix.

This change of schools, however, was different.

Stepping out of the large, red truck Charlie had let me use till I could afford my own, I had a sudden rush of panic: I had never felt so alone. When I got out of school, I would return home to Charlie, unable to talk about how the curse had affected me; unable to voice concerns about certain students or teachers. When it came to dealing with the curse, it was up to me completely.

Eyes followed me as I walked up to the closest building with the words 'Administrative and Guidance Office" across the side. The heavy doors let way to a small, tidy office with two receptionists. They looked up as I entered.

"You must be Isabella!" the first one spoke loudly, hoping to get to talk to the mysterious daughter of the police chief first. She rose out of her chair, groping around the packed desk while her eyes scrutinized me. She finally found the packet of paper she had been blindly looking for and held it out. "Here is your list of classes for the first semester, a map of the school grounds, student calendar and list of school guidelines and rules,"

I took the packet of paper and glanced at the schedule. Nothing too horrible: Geometry, Advanced Biology, AP English, Creative Writing. I groaned silently as I saw the last class: Gym. I had a hard enough time functioning without running with a ball in my hand. This was going to be a long year.

Over the years, I had become a pro at avoiding any opportunity to draw attention to myself. I put it to use as I walked into each class that day. I made sure to arrive well before the bell, hand the teacher the note given to me in the packet with instructions for admitting their newest student, and then pick a chair in the back three rows. I would then open up my spiral notebook and doodle or write. This worked through my first two hours, but I wasn't so lucky in my third.

As I repeated my procedure, I saw out of my peripheral a blonde hair boy enter the room, pause and make a beeline for the seat next to mine. He loudly shuffled his backpack around to make his presence known and then turned to me.

"You must be Isabella, the new girl," He said smiling a very white smile. He's wasn't overall bad to look at. Bright blue eyes and an apple pie smile. He looked like the all-American boy.

"Bella," I corrected instantly. He threw his hand out to shake and I offered mine as well. His hand lingered on mine a second too long before letting my fingers slip from his hand.

'I'm Mike, Mike Newton," he answered coolly. He had a subtle cockiness about him that gave off the air of being adored. Sure enough, I spied on the back of his letterman jacket the listings for almost all of the sports offered at Forks High. He was the school's number one boy.

"How do you like Forks so far?" He asked conversationally, leaning back in his desk carelessly as the rest of the class filled in.

"It's alright; I haven't had the chance to do a lot of looking around. I flew in not even three days ago," I answered. I left out the part of how most of that time had been spent curled in a ball in my room crying. Just then, the teacher stood up from his desk in the corner and started to take roll.

"If you'd let me, maybe I can give you the grand tour of Forks," he whispered, a small smile playing on his lips.

I nodded, taken aback just a little, "Maybe," I answered. I smiled quickly and then turned back to the teacher.

I'm not used to being hit on. The curse, while making me slightly more rebellious in nature, had also unintentionally given me another curse: isolation. I was virtually isolated from normal life. In the multiple schools I had seen and been forced to interact with the students, everyone already had their niches, their group of friends. No one was interested in getting to know the quiet girl in the back row. Of course, those had all been very large schools, where students coming and going were probably not as uncommon as a school and town this incredibly small. I suppose it made sense for people to be curious, and in some instances, flirtatious, with the idea of someone new.

I looked down at my clothes, wondering if the difference had been there. My favorite distressed denim, fit white long sleeve and favorite tennis shoes. Nothing out of the ordinary there, just my regular school outfit. The only addition was the necklace hanging from my neck. Renee's favorite necklace hung on a small silver chain from my neck. It was a small silver pendant made to look like an upside down flower, but instead of the flower head, there was a beautiful pearl. For as long as I could remember, she had worn that necklace without knowing where she had gotten it. I sighed a little, feeling the misery wash over me. I suppose now I never would.

A boy a few seats ahead in the row next to mine turned his head ever so slightly towards me. I had been used to the stares by now – everyone had been doing it all day. This boy, however, seemed slightly upset. He had brilliant blonde hair that fell almost to his muscular shoulders and standing was probably fairly tall. I couldn't make out his face completely, but his cheek and the hands resting on his desk were extremely pale. Even paler than my own translucent skin.

I turned my attention back to the teacher, and felt immediately calm. It was strange how fast I had jumped back from feeling so upset – the past few days, the slightest reminder of Renee had me in tears. For the first time in weeks I felt peaceful. I relaxed a little in my chair and put my feet on the bar on the front of my desk. The rest of the class period went by fairly quickly and before I knew it the bell rang. By the time I had reached the hallway, I felt the dread wash over me: lunch period. The worst part of starting over had to be finding a place to sit in the lunch room.

"Bella!" Someone called from the classroom. I turned to see Mike jogging after me. He fell into step beside me with a huge toothy grin. "Would you like to sit with me and my friends at lunch?"

Relief washed over me as I nodded; a real smiling breaking across my face. "Thanks Mike. That would be great."

**- - - - - - - -**

**_Notes_**

_The necklace I described is one I actually own – it's beautiful. I'll do my best to upload a photo so you can see what it looks like. It's by Whitehall Jewelers which I am sad to say has gone bankrupt. _

_You can probably guess who the mysterious boy is Bella's class, but no, Bella will not be paired with him. All characters have their canon relationships._


	4. Lunchtime Dramarama

I read somewhere that depending on the restaurant you go to, whether a sit down restaurant or a fast food chain, they will paint the walls according to if they want you to stay longer or shorter. Sit down restaurants will paint very comforting colors so you will stay longer and order more food. They know that you go there to eat because you would like a nice meal – thus willing to spend more money. With fast food, restaurant owners know you want it just that way – fast and cheap. These restaurants want you in and out, so the colors will usually be a nasty shade of something.

That's all that I could think about as I entered the cafeteria. Around the round wooden tables and matching blue plastic chairs, the cafeteria was painting a disgusting shade of pea green. It looks like the school had tried to cover as much up as possible by littering the walls with posters for upcoming school events and a bulletin board for student postings, but nothing could entirely hide that shining olive color.

Mike followed closely behind me as we went through the school lunch line, sometimes making comments on the food and recommending me to stay away from some of the more questionable entrees.

I started to become rather nervous again as I trailed behind him on the way to the table on the furthest wall. The round table was almost full, and everyone turned as we arrived. Somehow I would have to make it through lunch juggling trying to avoid any off-hand commands and have enough to talk about that I would have a place to sit at lunch tomorrow as well.

"Hey Mike, that the new girl?" A boy with dark hair and very dark eyes asked, a strange look on his face as he watched me squirm under everyone's intense stare.

"Yeah, hey guys, this is Bella," He said putting his arm around my shoulders possessively. "Bella, this is Tyler, Lauren, Jessica, Angela and Ben."

Everyone said a hello as I sat down between Ben and Mike. The girl with dark hair and thick glasses, Angela, smiled sweetly as I set down my tray. Jessica, the girl with curly brown hair, smiled a little, but the last girl, Lauren, glowered at me from across the table. I looked quickly away, making a mental note to stay away from Lauren.

The conversations picked up again, and for the moment, I sat comfortably at the table just listening to everyone's chatter. It was comforting – I had never been in a group like this before. I threw comments into the discussion when I could, and it seemed like I was accepted for the most part – the exception being Lauren.

A few minutes in, the boys decided to leave to play basketball in the open gym. They waved as they left, Tyler and Mike giving me sidelong looks as they left.

"So, Bella, what last two classes do you have?" Jessica asked, pushing her half empty try away from her and leaning forward.

"Creative writing and then gym," I answered, grimacing at the last one.

"Creative writing with Hanson? Me too!" Angela said brightly.

"Lauren and I have gym last period too," Jessica added. Lauren gave a sour smile as she crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat.

"Sorry about her," Angela whispered in my ear as Jessica turned to say something to Lauren. "She's…well, possessive, when it comes to the guys. She doesn't like when girls try and talk to them. It's nothing personal; she'll probably warm up to you in a few days."

Just then the cafeteria glass doors opened. I looked up automatically as the door clanged shut; it was then that I saw them.

There were three of them, two girls and one boy. The boy I recognized instantly from class. Blonde long hair, muscular, lean and tall, he had on a navy blue vest over a light blue button up and stylish jeans. The two girls were completely opposites. One had their arm linked the guy and was very tiny in frame and size. She had short black spiky hair and was very stylish. She had on a black ruffled blazer and white v-neck tee and a silver necklace paired with dark denim shorts and black tights. The other girl had blonde curled hair that fell mid back. She was curvaceous – the type of girl you'd see in a swimsuit magazine – the type that every girl wanted to be. She had on a cream flowing top over grey denim capris with white pumps.

It wasn't the fact that the three of them looked like they had stepped out of a fashion magazine that struck me. What made me look on in absolute wonder was how amazingly beautiful they were. Each were pale – even more than me, and had light purple circles under their eyes, but their bodies were all alike. Perfection.

"Who are they?" I asked, nodding towards the three who had settled into a table on the other side of the cafeteria.

Angela and Jess looked to where I gestured and put on a knowing smile. "The Cullens," Angela answered.

"They're Doctor Cullen's foster kids. They moved in from Alaska last year." Jessica added, her eyes bright with excitement at the gossip. "The guy is Jasper, and the girl next to him is Alice, and the other is Rosalie. There are two other brothers, Emmett and Edward, but they must be gone today."

They all had old fashioned names, but I suppose that was fitting with their other worldly beauty. They were…dissimilar. They were too graceful, too….perfect.

"They're…different," I said, searching for the perfect way to put it. Maybe it was the curse which familiarized me with a felling of being different, but something seemed unusual about them.

"They tend to keep to themselves," Angela answered, getting bored with the conversation. I liked Angela; it would be nice to have someone to talk to who was just interested in the latest gossip. And from her quiet demeanor and the polite way she spoke, I knew I wouldn't have to worry about any off-hand commands.

"Well, I mean, yeah – they're all _together,_" Jessica said, raising an eyebrow. "Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett, they're _to-ge-ther_," She finished, enunciating each word as if it were the dirtiest thing she had ever heard of. I admit, it was strange, it probably would have been the topic of some gossip for a little while even in a school as big as my Phoenix school.

The blonde guy, Jasper, was picking apart a small strand of grapes and seemed to be talking to the girls, although his lips barely moved. Alice suddenly looked up and met my eyes. I held my gaze, silently daring her to turn away first. Her forehead scrunched up, like she was confused and then began whispering to the others. They all turned and stared right at me, and I turned my head away.

"You seemed to have caught their eye," Jessica said, her eyebrows drawn together, inspecting me.

"She's new meat, isn't she?" Lauren said loudly, pulling out of her silence and smirking coldly at me. "It's not everyday we have a new city girl among us small town hicks, isn't that right Jess?" She tilted her head and laced her fingers on the table.

"…I never said _anything_ like that, Lauren…what is your problem?" I asked angrily. I was usually a very even tempered person; the curse had taught me patience and how to keep a cool head, but this girl was infuriating!

"My problem is you, Isabella Swan, the chief's M.I.A. daughter who shows up at his doorstep a decade later and is suddenly the most popular girl in school. Seriously, the look on Tyler's face when he saw you walk in-" She suddenly shut her mouth firmly and looked at me outraged, and it all fell into place. At this point, most of the surrounding tables had quit their quiet chatter and were listening to our loud exchange.

"This is all about your boyfriend? A guy I haven't even spoken to for more than ten minutes?" I asked incredulously.

"Just stay away from him, Swan," she said with certain finality. She gathered her books and started to walk out of the lunch room. The silent stares of the students around her seemed to egg her on to shout one final rebuttal:

"Just go back to wherever you came from!"

- - - - - -

_**Notes**_

_The next time you go into any fast food restaurants, check the walls and tell me if I'm right. If I'm wrong, I'll stay away from Lauren's boyfriend forever. That's a fact._

_Pictures of Jasper, Alice and Rosalie's outfit are available on my profile._


	5. 1600 Miles

3 hours, 38 minutes and 5…6…7 seconds. That's how long I had been walking.

As soon as Lauren had shouted out her final command, 'Go back to wherever you came from!' I started to walk. The muscles in my legs were becoming tense. I had always been active (as active as someone could with my level of clumsiness) but my favorite sneakers were proving to be more run down than I had thought, and were adding to the stress of walking on unkempt roads..

'If I manage to get myself out of this one,' I thought to myself. 'I will buy myself new shoes.'

"Go back to wherever you came from" – in my mind this would only mean one place: Arizona. After the initial shock of realizing what I had to do, the wheels in my mind started to spin quickly.

Phoenix, Arizona was 1600 miles away. It was very unlikely someone wouldn't notice I had disappeared. Of course. My only hope was to somehow get out of this.

Driving would get me too far away too fast. Walking would be slower, even slower if I dawdled. The curse didn't punish me for trying to get out of doing commands, so I used this to my full advantage. The first hour I had only made it a mile and a half. I had dragged my feet, used baby steps and did anything I could to slow my pace. Three and a half hours later, I had just made it to the other side of town. I was considering trying to circle town a few times, by each time I tried to turn down a road that took me away from my course, my symptoms would start. The curse wouldn't allow me to turn my decided course.

The businesses were now left behind, and the houses were becoming fewer and farther apart. The less people, the harder it would be for me to try and get out of this command. How exactly I was planning to do that…I still wasn't sure. Renee's final command made getting out of disagreeable commands somewhat hard.

The walk had been pleasant enough until it had started to rain. Like the insult to the injury. The long sleeve white shirt which had been almost too warm in the crowded classrooms now proved to be far too thin. I wrapped my arms protectively around my chest, covering as much as I could and keeping myself as warm as possible. My hair dripped down my back and the sides of my face, my jeans were heavy and sloshing with each step. I gripped my mother's necklace, willing some sort of power to come out and save me. She had always known what to do when the curse became too much. She had always been the brave one. I felt stripped of one side of myself without her.

Forest had taken over most of the view around the road and I had not seen a house for the last twenty minutes. Green marshes and overhanging limbs lined each side of the road. The tree coverage was enough to give me a small break from the rain, but in place I felt the bitter cold. The temperature had dropped greatly since I had left school. I looked down, watching my footing on the broken and uneven pavement and noticed my shoelace had come untied. I bent over quickly, glad for the momentary break from walking, when my head felt ready to burst. I clutched the sides of my head, and fell down onto the hard ground. The curse was punishing me for taking a break! I fought the crippling pain and got to my feet quickly and the symptoms quickly stopped.

The tears which had been so close to the surface the past few weeks erupted. "Are you kidding?!" I screamed, wrapping my arms around my chest again as I continued to walk. "One second to tie my shoe, and I get that?!!" I let the sobs come out, not even attempting to hold them back. My untied shoe lace whipped back and forth around my legs, threatening my each step. The rain was falling harder now, and the cold was almost unbearable. There were no businesses, there were no houses; just me. I left the hopelessness of the situation fall over me like a stifling blanket.

The next hour was agonizing. The t shirt was all but see through and my jeans so heavy I had a hard time keeping the legs from tripping me. My ears ached from the cold, my arms felt raw from the icy raindrops. The sky was starting to darken under the heavy cloud cover. Fear suddenly shot through me – a lone girl walking down a back road in the dark. Large animals with sharp teeth and men wielding large butcher knives rolled through my mind as the dread enveloped me.

Just as these horrible thoughts started to fly through my mind, I heard a soft rustling in the trees to my right. I stifled my sobs and quieted my haggard breathing and took feather light steps. I scanned the tree line but I couldn't see what had caused the noise through the downpour and the thick forest. Without thinking, my pace sped up, as more pictures of big grey wolves and killers with chainsaws ran through my mind. I heard another rustling, closer this time. I turned my head in time to see a large oak crack loudly and fall where I had been walking just seconds before.

I took a few running steps before I saw the ground rushing up towards me. The untied shoelace had finally won. It had wrapped around itself around my opposite foot and brought me down HARD. My forehead hit the pavement, just as a sharp pain ran through my chest. Even though it wasn't my fault, the curse was blaming me for the pause in my trek. I felt a sticky substance dripping down the side of my face, but I was too focused on the pain I was in to notice the smell of the blood.

I rolled to my side, trying to will the pain away when I saw them. Two boys . . . or where they men? came running out of the forest, the smaller one quickly pursed by a larger one. The smaller one was making a bee line for me, his face obscured by the raindrops and blood in my eyes, but even through that I could make out a shock of copper colored hair. He barreled towards me and I swear I heard growls erupting from his throat. The larger one jumped, his dark curls matted by the rain to his forehead, and tackled the other to the ground, cracking the pavement. Terrifying growls were emitting from one of them or maybe both of them as they wrestled roughly on the wet ground. Smacks as loud as rocks cracking or thunder claps echoed off the forest around me. I cried out, unable to help myself, and I tried my best to not go unconscious near these two, large struggling men.

Everything was becoming murky. The pain in my head but mostly the pain in my chest was becoming too much for my body to handle. The more I fought the curse, the worse it would fight back. I retched on the wet pavement, the smell from it and the blood on my head finally became apparent and it was just too much. I knew the unconsciousness would be coming soon and I welcomed it. Relief from it all was coming. Peace for untold moments.

The growls stopped suddenly as a large black shape came rushing down the road. I heard the squeal of tires and doors opening. My ears already sore from the extreme cold were not able to decipher the dialect around me. Muffled voices whispered quickly between one another. The large dark haired man had his arm securely around the smaller ones shoulders.

The whole scene playing out was erupting before my eyes in strange flashes as blackness started to envelope me.

Flash of headlights. Dripping copper hair. Someone running out into the forest.

My mind let go and I fell backwards inside myself. The last thing I was aware of were two small arms picking me up and whispering echoic down the tunnel I was falling through: "We've got you Bella."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_**Notes**_

_Can you guess who it was? Probably. _

_I'm trying to leave no stone unturned. Of course she's probably used to looking at things from every angle – she's been dealing with this curse for her whole life! I also didn't want people writing back, 'why didn't she do this?'. _

_I command you to tell me what you think about his chapter, because I'm only thinking it's so so. Quickly! Tell me before your symptoms kick in!_

_EDIT: Everyone had something to say about the length of the chapter, so here is the revamped version. (pun intended)_


	6. Unanswerable Understandings

I don't know how long the darkness engulfed me. They say that when you are unconscious or passed out, what feels like a few minutes are actually a few hours. I remember going under when I had my wisdom teeth taken out and the hour long operation feeling like a matter of minutes. Since I had been knocked out on my way to Phoenix, I knew that some time had passed, but how much I wasn't sure. All I know is that when I started to come to I was warm and comfortable. A slight beeping noise came from over my head somewhere, and I faintly heard a door shut on the other side of the room. My alertness was starting to come back and I heard quiet scribbling of pen on paper.

It was sudden, like a ton of bricks falling- my head suddenly felt like it was about ready to burst. My eyes flew open and a tall, blonde doctor was standing over me taking notes. He looked up as my gaze met his own and he smiled an unsure smile at my panicked face.

"Isabella?" he asked quietly, moving a step closer.

The pain was like none I've ever felt before, worse than any punishment the curse had ever put on me. I cried out, sitting straight up and covering my head with my hands. I felt the tug and sharp sting as the IV was pulled from my arm.

"Where are you in pain? Isabella, can you hear me?" The doctor asked, pulling my arm down and stopping the flowing blood on my arm with the sheet on my bed. I opened my mouth to answer but all I could do is let out another cry. The pain was such that I leaned over the side of the bed and wretched noisily. The smell of the vomit and blood were enough to make me lightheaded. Was I going to pass out again? Would this be some sickening cycle? The doctor put his arm around my shoulders and supported me as I tried desperately to breath.

"Please!" I screamed, gripping his arm like he was my lifesaver in the middle of a stormy sea. I heard the door open again and someone rush into the room, but I was trying too hard to focus enough on speaking to see whoever else was witnessing my episode. I tried to think of something to say….anything to end the command and thus the pain. "Tell me . . . . I can stay here!" I heaved, grasping his shoulder and turned to face him. "Tell me I don't. . . . have to go to Phoenix!"

He stared at me for a split second before responding. "Isabella, you can stay here. You do not have to go to Phoenix."

The pain ended just as suddenly as it always did. I fell against the pillows, crying and trying to catch my breath. The blonde doctor stood up off the edge of the bed and stared at me with bewildered eyes. He turned, and I saw a small dark haired girl frozen in the entrance, her face just as puzzled. It took me a second to recognize her as the girl from school – one of the Cullens.

The sound of heavy footfalls came from somewhere close in the hall. "Please don't tell," I begged, the freefalling tears continuing as I thought of what I had just revealed. "Please!" I looked between the both of them, a look of panic on my face. They shared a brief glance before the black haired girl nodded and stepped towards the back of the room. The door suddenly flew open and Charlie came in, his shirt untucked and his face slightly unshaven.

"Bella!" He yelled, as he took a step forward, but the doctor caught him around his shoulders before he could make it all the way to my bedside. "I heard her screaming – Dr. Cullen, what happened?"

I turned and looked at the doctor, or Dr. Cullen, and took in the resemblance. Much like the other Cullens, he was extremely good looking. Not just attractive…perfect, like his children. I glanced at the dark haired girl, Alice, standing motionless against the back wall and saw many same attributes as Dr. Cullen. They both had dark circles under their eyes and extremely pale skin. Their eyes were a very strange color…not brown, and not yellow; some mixture of gold and bronze. Did Dr. Cullen have them all on some sort of special vitamins?

"She's alright now, Charlie, just give her a minute," Dr. Cullen said, releasing Charlie's shoulders and turning back to my bleeding hand. "She got a little confused when she woke up, and pulled the IV from her hand, that's all." He took several strips of cotton and bandages and wrapped my hand and then he turned and hit a button on the wall.

"Jeeze, kid," Charlie said, breathing a little heavy and staring at me with worried eyes. "I could hear you all the way down the hall. You scared the life out of me."

"She's alright now, it looks like," Dr. Cullen said turning to me and giving me a slightly skeptical look. "How are you feeling, Isabella?"

"Bella," I answered automatically. "I feel fine. When can I get out of here?" I asked, trying my best to not look at Dr. Cullen or Alice.

"Well, Bella, I think it would be best if we could keep you overnight for further observation. You hit your head pretty bad," Dr. Cullen said, picking up clipboard from where he had dropped it on the floor. "You don't seem to have any other complications from the cut though," He replied, glancing over his page as he put emphasis on 'from the cut', "so you should be able to go home in the morning."

I reached up automatically and felt gauze and the prickle of stitches poking through the thin material. I hadn't even realized I had a cut. "Oh," I whispered. "Ouch."

"Just relax, Bella. You've been out for awhile." Charlie said, relaxing a little at my normalcy. I instantly fell back into the cushions and got comfortable, all the worry seeming to melt away. He yawned hugely and I noticed the dark circles under his eyes.

"You need to get some sleep, Charlie," Alice said finally, taking a few steps forward form her spot by the window. "You've been here all night."

"You're right, Alice. Thanks for staying with me in the waiting room – you were good company." He said. He looked over at me, obvious guilt on his face. "Are you doing alright? Would you like me to stay?"

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "I'll be fine Char – Dad. Go get some sleep.'

"We'll take good care of her, Charlie," Dr. Cullen said, smiling kindly and walking to the door. He turned the handle just as a brown haired nurse came in. She glanced questioningly at Dr. Cullen. "There was a little accident, Sue," He answered her glance. "If you could please send one of the custodians to clean and if you could please change her sheets, I would be very obliged." His words, while very kind, were more than that. Enchanting. Sue looked stunned for a few moments afterwards before turning back to the hall and bringing back in a cart with several changes of sheets and other hospital room necessities. Dr. Cullen reached forward and helped me gently off the bed, Charlie on my other side, while Sue fidgeted nervously with the sheets, shooting Dr. Cullen flirty glances between folds. Finally she finished, and Charlie helped me lie back down on the starched white sheets. Sue left in a flurry, bumping the door and wall on the way out. Dr. Cullen smiled a little apologetically and started for the door.

"We'll let you two have some privacy before you go." Alice followed shortly, glancing one last time at me over her shoulder. I smiled awkwardly, wondering suddenly why she had spent all night waiting for me to wake up.

Just as Charlie opened his mouth to speak, the door opened yet again and in walked a tall custodian. He briskly stomped in, took one disgusted look at the floor and then at me, and mopped up the mess. He walked out without a second glance. Charlie's eyes followed him, his eyes narrowed slightly at his rude behavior, which then turned to me.

Charlie walked around to the side of the bed and sat down on the edge. "So," he started. I hadn't known Charlie that long, but I could almost feel it – like the swell before the storm. This wasn't going to be good. "Are you going to explain why you didn't tell me?"

My heart froze – literally stopped beating for a split second. Panic gripped my chest and breathing suddenly became very hard. "Told you?" I whispered.

"Seriously, I don't have to know where you are ever second, but it would have been nice to know where you were at 8 at night." He said, rubbing his forehead and looking at me sternly. "Just a phone call would have been nice. The Cullens are responsible kids; I'm surprised one of them didn't have you call."

I was seriously confused right now. What did the Cullens have to do with anything?

Flashes of the previous night played out, none of them making much sense. The growling, the fighting boys, the headlights, small arms picking me up –

"The next time you go for a drive with friends, just let me know, okay?" It didn't sound like he was leaving much debate either way. I nodded, and went with the story. I wasn't in trouble, and a story had apparently been made up for my unexplained appearance a county away so I wouldn't have to explain anything about the curse. "It's a good thing their dad's a doctor – you might have bled to death when you tripped. You've never been graceful," he said, sounding slightly amused. "I think you may have gotten that from me."

It turned a little awkward; as I remained cushioned in the pillows, processing everything and trying to make sense out of last night and Charlie did his best to remain awake. He stood up a little groggily and stretched. He leaned forward, and kissed my forehead softly before turning and heading out of the room.

I turned on my side and looked out the window. A number of things were running through my mind now. First off: the punishment. It was worse than anything I had ever felt. The curse had never punished me that severely before. Could it be the fact that I waited so long before I was able to continue on with the command? Was it because I had been unable to feel its effects for a period of time – so over time it became more powerful? I suppose it made sense – the punishment was there to make sure I completed a command. The longer I waited, the harsher the punishment would get, I thought bitterly.

Second off: what exactly happened last night? Flashes, images and feelings rolled around from the previously night all tried to make sense, but I couldn't put together exactly what had taken place. There was a large crack…and then the tree fell over. I dodged it, and tripped on my shoelace…and hit my head. The rain was coming down hair, and it was getting in my eyes, so I couldn't see. Then the curse kicked in – the pain in the head must be what was making everything so murky. Did I imagine everything that happened? Was I so tired, and hurting so bad that I hallucinated? I thought about the specific details – the curly haired boy and the boy with the bronze hair…it seemed too specific for me to have dreamt up. Then I remember someone picking me up –

The door opened behind me in the room, and shut softly. I rolled over and saw Alice, standing suddenly by the side of the bed.

"Hi," She smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I was wondering if you fell asleep. Guess not!" She said merrily. I couldn't help but smile at this strange girl – she was so bubbly, you couldn't help it.

"Thank you," I said, sitting up on the bed and pulling the covers over the ugly hospital gown.

"For what?"

"For telling Charlie I was out driving with you." I said, looking at her expectantly. Would she ask about what I was doing there? I had never been good at lying, I wasn't sure I could make up a story for my appearance walking down a back road a county over in a thunderstorm. I crossed my fingers under the sheet as I waited for her to continue.

She smiled again and shrugged her shoulders, "I guess I didn't think you'd have a real reason for where you were…I just thought it would be best to tell a little white lie."

"Why were you there? How did you know where I was?" I couldn't help myself – even with the worry of revealing too much about myself, I had to know more about this strange family.

"Well, Bella," she said, slowly, a smile still on her lips but there was a seriousness in her eyes. "We all have our own little secrets, don't we?"

That instantly shut me up.

"Still…thank you." I said.

"Carlisle asked me to do one thing," she said, leaning in a little closer as if she were sharing a secret. "Just let me know if…that happened because of some medical reason. Just…let me know if it is something that has to be treated."

She had not outright asked about the curse, so it would allow me to answer. "No, it's not medical. There's nothing medicine can do." I said shortly. I expected an onslaught of questions to start. She had been far too understanding, I was sure my luck was running out.

Instead, she just nodded and stared out the window, her eyes glazing slightly. I realized I wasn't going to get any answers from her – not today at least. It should have put me some at ease that she wasn't asking more about what she had saw, but instead it made me have more questions about this family. A family, obviously different from any I had met that had a sudden fascination with me. It wasn't safe for such an interest – not for me, and possibly not for them. There were too many ways for me to be used, to be hurt. I would have to try to distance myself as much as I could. I couldn't allow myself to get close friends. My first day of school, and I already was going to be labeled the freak, the outsider. I had tried my best to be considered normal but it was not possible; the curse always got in the way.

Alice slid off the bed and pulled over one of the chairs. "You can go ahead and sleep, Bella." She said, sitting down and putting her feet on one of the bars under the bed. "Would you mind if I stayed here for awhile?"

I wanted to ask why, but I decided not to push my luck. "No, I don't mind."

I rolled over on my side, and fell into sleep. I dreamt of growling shadows and flashes of headlights. I saw wet bronze hair and angry golden eyes before I woke in a sweat the next morning to an empty hospital room.

- - - - - - - - -

_**Notes**_

_I'm writing this very late – if something doesn't make sense, please let me know. No, you're not supposed to know exactly what happened in the forest yet. Everything's a little hard to understand, mostly because Bella can't make sense of it herself. _

_Reviews are like Oreos – I just can't get enough._


	7. Edward Cullen

From the second I stepped into school that Monday morning, whispers followed me everywhere. I had expected there to be talk after last week's ordeal, so I went in with my own little mental armor – 'I will not be upset by gossip'. To make the gossip possibly even worse, Charlie had made me stay home the remainder of the week. Little conversations flew around the halls as I pulled off my wet rain jacket. I wasn't sure what the gossip exactly was, but I had enough experience from strange glances and finger pointing to know that it was directed at me. It didn't seem angry, worried or mocking – overall it seemed more curious than anything.

My locker stood at the very end of the west hall, so I made the long awkward walk surrounded by a hallway of gossiping students to where it stood. Angela gracefully fell into step beside me. She smiled warmly and nodded towards a group of girls who had paused to watch me walk by. "I wouldn't worry about them," she said rolling her eyes and smiling even wider. "I think they're all just in shock."

My locker finally came into view. A guy in a Spartans varsity jacket made way as I approached, giving me an appreciative look over before turning to a group of similarly dressed boys. Angela rolled her eyes again as I turned a wide-eyed glance her way. "What do you mean in shock?"

"You know," She said, leaning against the locker to my left. "About the whole Lauren thing. No one has _ever_ spoken to her like that." I relaxed a little. Maybe no one knew what exactly had happened after I had left school. "Where have you been? You kind of disappeared after that first day – I was a worried Lauren had scared you off."

"Oh – I was sick," I finished lamely, but it seemed to appease Angela, so I left it at that.

I pulled out the books to my next class and tried repeatedly to close my overflowing locker. A large arm stretched out several feet above my head and closed the locker effortlessly. I turned as a large boy…or was it man? smiled and turned to the opposite side of lockers and started to open his own. He was huge…larger than anyone I had seen outside of a wrestling ring. He stood at least a foot taller than the rest of the members of the cramped hallway. Even without the height or the size, his starch-white skin would have stood out a mile away. He turned to look down the hallway, and I noticed the same perfect features, and purple circles under the eyes…

"Is he a Cullen?" I asked Angela as we both started to head down towards the math hallway.

"Yeah – that's Emmett Cullen. He and his brother were gone your first day. He's the one that's dating Rosalie," She said. As if on cue, Rosalie and Jasper Cullen rounded the corner followed shortly after by Alice. Jasper glanced my way while Rosalie determinedly look anywhere but. Alice, however, skipped gracefully over to where I stood.

"Hi Bella!" She said happily. She looked liked a little doll, in a short light blue dress and white leggings. She smiled widely at Angela who nervously smiled back. It didn't appear that Angela had much interaction with this little bubble of energy. "How are you feeling?"

"Hey Alice, I feel great," I answered. Angela looked at me with surprised eyes.

"I better get going," Angela eased by me, smiling at the two of us. "I'll see you guys in class."

We both said our goodbyes and Alice fell into step beside me leaving her family staring at our retreating backs. The hallway was starting to clear now, but the few people who remained talking in the halls stared even more as the brave new girl who had stood up to Lauren Mallory walked with one of the mysterious Cullens. I heard a light grumble and I glanced back and met the other Cullen's surprised looks. "I don't think they like me very much," I whispered to Alice.

She looked back and shook her head. "Don't worry about them," she said with a wave of my hand, and instantly any hesitation I felt about the other Cullen family members evaporated. "We really don't talk to a lot of people outside of the family…I guess they'll just need to get used to it." She smirked, and I heard a faint rumbling noise come from the back of the hallway.

As the warning bell rang through the halls, Alice suddenly stopped and a blank expression came across her face. As if out of thin air, Jasper appeared at her side and grabbed her hand.

I started, surprised at his sudden appearance. "Alice?" I asked, instinctively reaching out to touch her arm. Even though the sleeves of the dress she was wearing, she was freezing. I pulled my arm back quickly; Jasper glanced up at me but then turned back to Alice.

She seemed to unfreeze from whatever had stunned her and a smile broke over her face. "Oh! He decided to come." She said, smiling at Jasper. She turned around to face the entrance at the opposite side of the hall just as the double doors swung open.

I turned over my shoulder, thoroughly confused over what had just happened, "Who are you talking about…"

He wasn't overly tall, and he wasn't overly muscular. He was younger looking then his two brothers, who could possibly pass as college students. His arms were lean, white marble over tight muscle. His shirt was fit perfectly over his slightly muscular chest. He had on perfect fitting jeans and a long blue sleeve top. His nose ended where a good nose should and was perfectly spaced between two honey colored eyes. His mouth, which was currently pulled down in a focused frown was beautiful. His hair was a bronze colored and was messed to perfection – no stylist could ever achieve hair that looked quite like his. He walked through the double doors determinedly, barely nodding at Emmett and Rosalie who were still standing by their locker. He looked up to where the three of us stood frozen in the hall and our eyes met for the briefest of seconds. It wasn't right for someone to be this perfect. No model or celebrity – no angel could ever come close to matching his perfection.

"Edward," Alice said as he came to a stop several feet from the three of us. "I'm so glad you came." She tilted her head a little to the right and smiled even wider. He smiled slightly at his sister and nodded companionably to Jasper who returned the gesture. As Edwards eyes fell upon me, I was unable to look anywhere else. His eyes met mine, and I felt safe. No other town, city, state I had ever lived in had ever felt this much like home.

His eyes scrunched up slightly as he studied me and a curious look across his face. Alice glanced at me and then back, "Edward, this is Bella, she just moved here from Phoenix – remember the girl I was telling you about?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but instantly shut it. He swallowed convulsively, and for a moment I wondered if perhaps he was going to be sick.

"Excuse me," he choked out, taking several bounding steps before walking into the classroom I would be entering in several seconds.

"That was smooth, Edward," a deep voice said quietly behind me, I turned to find Emmett and Rosalie walking hand in hand towards our small assembly. He smiled and laughed, before kissing Rosalie on the cheek and they separated to go to their own classes.

"I'm sorry about Edward, Bella," Alice said, shaking her head in almost a state of shock over her brother's odd behavior. "Well, you know how boys are. He'll warm up to you soon, I think," she said as a curious expression of her own came across her face. She stood for half a second, before grabbing Jasper's hand and almost dancing to their class on the opposite side of the hall. "See you later, Bella!" Jasper looked over his shoulder and smiled the smallest of smiles before following her into class.

The hallway was now almost empty. I glanced at the door that Edward had entered not even a minute earlier. My heart started to pound at the thought of having to enter the room where he was. I adjusted the sweater I wore and raked my fingers hastily through my hair before taking a deep breath and walking into geometry.

The tables were divided in long rows, about 8 to each row. I had been assigned a seat on my first day at the end of the second line. On my first day, the seat beside mine had been empty and I was expecting a semester of being able to sprawl all my belongings out on the black slate table. As I entered, I saw at once that the seat beside mine was no longer empty and held no one else but Edward Cullen.

I half ignored him as I did my best to gracefully step around the cramped room and into the chair besides his. As I started to sit down, several of my notebooks tipped out of my binder and fell to my feet. Barely a millisecond had passed and Edward had picked them up and was holding them out for me to take. Wow – talk about lighting fast reflexes. I reached out distracted to take the notebooks and accidentally brushed my fingers on his. A shock, like a small, warm electric current buzzed up my arm. He pulled away, leaving the notebooks in my outstretched hand. What was that? I stared dumbly at him, my mouth slightly opened before realizing what I must look like standing there gawking at him. I sat down in the chair, a notebook falling to the ground again, but this time that is where it remained.

The final bell rang and the teacher stood to begin morning roll. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward shift slightly and ease his several inches away from me. It was slow, and probably meant to be polite by not shoving away from me, but it hurt none the less.

Two things I was absolutely sure of:

One, the Cullens, especially Alice and Edward, were hiding something – something big. Something about them was off…they were too different. Too perfect, maybe. But as I had realized earlier, they had decided to take an interest in me, something which I had told myself I would not allow continuing. I would have to try harder to thwart any attempts of becoming close to anyone here…it just wasn't safe.

The second – Edward Cullen, who I had no previous contact with and for reasons unknown to me, hated me.


	8. Gym Class aka Hell on Earth

I dropped my things unceremoniously on the floor of the girl's locker room as I opened the thin green locker to grab my gym clothes. Chatter buzzed around me, occasionally voiced my way, but I changed in silence feeling shell shocked from Edward's cold attitude towards me. It was strange, how upset I felt over this stranger's manner towards me. Why did I let it get to me? What about Edward Cullen upset me so much?

I was so absorbed in the questions reeling through my mind I didn't notice someone's appearance at my elbow.

"Hi Bella!" Alice greeted excitedly.

I jumped about a foot in the air making me dropping the black yoga pants I was shimmying in to. "God, Alice! Don't sneak up on me like that!" I picked the pants up from the floor and shoved them on, before turning to her. "Since when are you in this gym class?"

"I decided to switch schedules around a little. I realized that Advanced British Literature and I just didn't get along." She said smoothly, adjusting her yellow sports top and putting her hands on her hips. It's amazing how even in the throws of gym class Alice still seemed to pull off a fashionable ensemble.

The class walked down to the track in scattered groups to meet Coach Bennett. The guys were already down on the track, a few throwing a football while the rest leaned against the stands. Mike greeted me a little over excitedly as everyone lined up on the track. I smiled back, giving an awkward wave and ducking my head quickly. Bennett had been hinting heavily that long distance running would soon be on the agenda, much to my displeasure. Knowing my record with walking, let alone running, this was going to be embarrassing. Alice never left my side, occasionally making a comment, but was otherwise silent. Throughout the beginning exercises, I felt her hard stare boring into my side. Finally I glanced over, just as she smiled quickly, and then bent over to adjust her perfectly tied sneaker.

"Alright guys, as most of you have probably guessed, today begins the two weeks of long distance running." Bennett started. Groans and a few cheers rang out through the class. I caught Angela's eye as she turned to share her distaste at the news. Alice looked uninterested, as her eyes glazed over and stared straight ahead. "On my whistle, you will run laps. Not walk, ladies," He added, giving a glare towards Jessica and Lauren, who both looked away quickly. "You will do a full run, until you hear my whistle."

I barely had time to realize what he had said before Bennett blew his whistle. The curse acted instantaneously. My legs bounded forward swiftly as I realized that I was in trouble.

It's not that I'm in terrible shape. I eat right. I drink plenty of water. I surpass most forms of chocolate for types of fruit. But I really have zero to no endurance when it comes to running.

Everyone split into groups of two or three as we started running. Alice and Angela fell into step besides me and met my speed which was slightly more brisk than the other girls in the class. To be honest, the first two laps weren't that bad. By the third, I could tell the running was getting to a few people. A few of the girls, even with badgering from Coach Bennett, had stopped to catch a breather and resumed as a fast walk. Angela's pace slowed slightly, but I kept at the steady pace, my heart ready to burst through my chest. Alice kept directly at my side, seemingly having an easy time.

Five laps.

The stitch in my side was almost unbearable. Sweat dripped down my cheeks as my heart pounded almost painfully in my chest. As unbearable as the fast pace was, I knew it would be worse to stop or even slow down. I pushed on.

"Bella, maybe we should slow down a little," Alice offered, her eyebrows knitted together worriedly as she took in my appearance.

"You can…slow down if…you need," I wheezed. She shook her head and continued on with me.

Six laps.

My lungs were burning. I was almost positive any second they would burst into flames. Alice, once again, asked if perhaps we should slow down. I shook my head furiously and kept going.

Seven laps.

I was going to faint, I was sure of it. Most of the class had either decided to jog or were leisurely walking the course of the track. A small group of guys I recognized as football players were still running but it didn't look like they would be lasting much longer. I glanced at Coach Bennett who had become engrossed in conversation with Mike and one or two other guys who were involved in sports. He glanced at a stop watch in his hand and then at the remaining runners, and then continued his conversation. I desperately would have liked to strangle him with the stopwatch cord or beat him over the head with it – which either would make him blow that damn whistle.

Eight laps.

My side hurt so bad I was actually hunched over as I ran. Alice amazingly enough remained at my side, her breathing labored but not nearly as bad as mine. Each breathe was physically painful. Black spots were erupting before my line of vision. I couldn't help it, I had to slow down. Instantly my head felt as if it was ready to split open. I tried to continued running, but between my aching lungs and the splitting headache I knew it wasn't 'a full out run'.

"Bella, are you alright? I really think you should stop!" Alice yelled. I kept pushing on. Surely Bennett would have to blow the whistle! He must see that absolutely no one was running, and I was here about to have a heart attack. Bile rose in my mouth as I fought desperately to not throw up all over Alice. She grabbed a hold of my arm and with strength unlike anyone else her size she pulled me to a stop. The pounding in my head was unbearable. She caught me around the shoulders as I hunched forward.

"Bella, stop running." She said in my ear. Instantly the curse lifted and my symptoms stopped. I leaned completely on Alice for support, her hard shoulders cradling my sweat drenched face.

"Is she okay?" Coach Bennett asked anxiously, running over with most of the class in tow. Alice sat me on the ground, still letting me lean against her for support. "I was sure everyone would stop eventually, I wanted to see how long everyone would be able to last." I opened my eyes a smidge to see Alice glaring at Coach Bennett, her face truly scary.

"I'm going to get her inside," Alice said determinedly, lifting me from the ground, my arm thrown around her neck. She half walked, half carried me towards the school, completely silent.

She took us the short distance through the school, thankfully passing only one hallway of classroom doors. As we neared the gym, a door swung open behind us crashing loudly into the row of lockers. Alice glanced over her shoulder as Jasper and Edward came out of one of the English rooms, Mrs. Sutton's voice calling them back in as they took a few steps out. Alice smiled a little at their apprehensive expressions.

"She's fine," Alice said quietly, looking from Jasper and then locking eyes with Edward. I looked over her shoulder and instantly found Edward through my hooded eyes. He looked ready to yell something, his face tense and his fists clasped at his sides. Jasper smiled at Alice and then glanced at my face before reentering the classroom. Alice continued us to the gym; Edward was left staring after us as we left the hallway.

I pulled away from Alice as we entered the locker room, falling onto one of the wooden benches in the center of the space. My breathing was almost back to normal, but I felt as though my legs weighed a thousand pounds. My back ached as I leaned forward onto my knees. Alice kept quiet as she leaned against my locker. Her face was serious as she scrutinized me, her arms folded against her chest.

"How are you feeling?" She asked after a little while. I shrugged my shoulders, my mind too tired to make up any excuse as to why I would nearly kill myself running laps in gym.

"Bella…" She started. There. I knew it was coming. I knew she was going to ask what exactly my deal was. Why I was found wandering around a few counties away in the rain, why I had a fit at the hospital…

"Raise your hand."

And I did.

My head shot up and met her stunned gaze, heart skipping a beat. I slowly lowered my arm, lamely scratching the back of my head as it fell. She snorted a laugh, her face alight with delight.

"Touch your nose," She said quietly, her face smiling. I waited a second, my face horrified as I slowly tapped my nose with my forefinger. My blood ran cold as our gazes continued to be locked.

"I knew it," she said breathed quietly. I stood up and backed slowly away from her. The tension in the air was so thick it could be cut with a knife. The locker room doors opened, and the girls spilled in quickly, most of them voicing concerns over my behavior in class. My eyes continued to be locked with Alice's, a small triumphant smile on her face. I did the only thing I could think of – I ran.

The bell rang out as I limped down the hallway, my legs still heavy with the extreme exercise I had just endured. I vaguely saw a mess of copper hair pause as I ran to my locker and took out my keys and wallet. Fear overruling the pain, I made a mad dart for the parking lot, jumping into my truck and pulling out of the parking lot as fast as I could. As I rounded the corner, I took one last look at the school. There on the sidewalk stood all of the Cullens, watching my hurried escape.

My heart flip-flopped as my gaze fell across Edwards face, his expression twisted into a look of astonishment. _'They know,_' I thought in horror. _"They all know'._

I turned back to the highway and gunned my truck as fast as it would take me home.

**- - - - - - - - **

**Yeah, it's taken me FOREVER, I am incredibly sorry. **

**Please if you would please, leave a review after the beep.**

_**Beep.**_


	9. Flight of the Self Preservationist

For the second time in the first week I had been attending school at Forks High, I found the curse completely exposed.

And for the second time this week, I found myself running away.

I'm glad this time I at least had a faster way to escape, even if the circumstances were in retrospect just as bad as before.

The large red truck groaned as I pushed the gas pedal closer to the floor. This was probably as fast as the poor beast had ever been before, and I hadn't even hit 65. A soft shimmy started building somewhere deep in the truck and I knew that I should probably level out the speed if I was planning on embarking on any sort of long distance trip. I set the speed at 50 and kept it there as I drove down the 101. A few cars passed along the highway, but other than that it was a completely empty road. No towns, no people. Nothing to distract me from the terror I felt gripping my chest. There was no place to turn off, just a solid stretch of endless highway. I had only one choice in driving: forward, or turning around and going back.

How is it after just 4 days in a new town I was already exposed? Wasn't I cautious? Did I march around screaming it at the top of my lungs or something? The first few days had seemed hard…I had never gone through this without my mom…but had I become reckless because of it? I pulled the car over to the side of the road, unshed tears blurring my vision to the point where I couldn't drive safely. The car idled as I wiped my eyes on my sleeve, grabbing Moms necklace through my shirt front.

I can't do this alone.

I didn't know how to survive with out her.

The tears fell thick and heavy now, my shirt splotched with the small amount of mascara I had applied this morning. Mom would have known what to do. I know exactly how it would have happened as well – it had happened so many times in the past:

I would have run home as quickly a possible, my locker at school already emptied and cleaned in preparation. I would start to pack, throwing all of our clothing into our luggage and dropping it at the front door. The rest of what few possessions we had would be placed in the trusty plastic crates we had invested in after the 4th time moving. It would be done by the time she got home from work. There wouldn't need to be any explanations – she could read me so easily just by the expressions on my face. She would make the few phone calls she needed. She knew how to put on a good show. She would breathe heavily, add a quavering voice, pause every so often to make sobbing noises and tell the administration at the high school about the horrible accident at her mothers house on the other side of the country where we would have to move immediately or how her dream to join the Peace Corp had finally been realized and they were allowing her to bring her daughter along with her to some third world country. Then we would pack up the station wagon, point somewhere on the map, and leave.

But she wasn't here to make this decision. She wasn't here to help me this time. It was my decision.

My mind seemed to work in overdrive, frantically coming up with several solutions. First, I could continue on. The 101 hit Port Angeles. From there I could take a ferry up to Canada and start over. I would take all the money out of my account, do odd jobs to raise enough to afford some place in the middle of nowhere. Or maybe make enough to just keep gas in my tank. I'd continue on as a nomad, never stopping long enough to be hurt by the curse, or allow it to hurt anyone else. Charlie would be upset…but he would be safe. Safe from me. It would probably be a lot more complicated then just jumping a ferry, but the more distance I put between me and Forks, the safer I would be.

Second option, I could return to Forks. I could face whatever lies there for me. Could I trust the Cullens? I wasn't sure. Did I want to find out? Possibly. Nothing in my friendship with Alice made me feel she would betray me, but the way her siblings looked at me on the sidewalk of the school….they had to have known. I had never spoken to any of the others, except for the brief – extremely brief – encounter in the hall with Edward.

A sudden picture of auburn hair and golden eyes flashed through my mind, then a fuzzy memory…one of wet dripping bronze hair and a low growl: the night on the road when I had been forced to walk to Phoenix. The Cullens had been there…they must have seen what had come at me in the dark. Or who. The Cullens were hiding something – something big. Their secrets seemed as complex as mine; just as binding. Their strange behavior and appearance…it was otherworldly. Something about them was not quite human. Mom had always considered the unknown to pose too much of a threat – what did I believe?

I shivered; having the strangest feeling I was being watched. The woods surrounding the road suddenly felt eerie. The urge to put the car in drive and drive away was strong, but I was still as confused as when I first pulled off. Run away or go back?

I heard a car approach from the directions of forks, it's acceleration down the road sounded NASCAR worthy. I peaked at my rearview mirror and saw a familiar Jeep start to slow as it drove in the direction of my car. I had seen this Jeep before, sometimes parked next to a sleek red convertible or a silver car in the schools parking lot. What was a student doing all the way out here? The Jeep had slowed substantially as it passed my truck. As I turned my head to get a view of the driver, my heart froze in my chest. The Jeep pulled ahead of me on the road side, but I could still make out the spiked black hair of the small girl behind the wheel. The vehicle came to a stop and idled in the gravel just as my adrenaline suddenly kicked in. I hadn't made a decision yet. I was not ready to face any of them.

Without thinking of what would happen or how in the world my poor truck could possibly outrun the large Jeep, I put my car in drive and slammed my foot on the gas.

As I passed the Jeep, I glanced at the driver side window. Alice sat there, her hands on the wheel, her face clearly registering a look of complete shock which morphed quickly into some sort of determination. As I pulled ahead as quickly as the big red beast would take me, the Jeep behind me peeled out of the gravel leaving a billowing blast of dust from the tires. As the speedometer inched closer to 55, Alice met my speed and maintained a cars length distance between her Jeep and my truck. I knew I wouldn't be able to outrun her but maybe she would get the point and turn around.

In the next 40 minutes, I realized something about Alice Cullen: she isn't one to give up.

For 40 minutes down the 101, I drove exactly 55 miles per hour, ignoring the shimmying the truck had resumed. For 40 minutes down the 101, Alice pursued. And it probably would have continued if I had remembered to fill my tank before I left Forks.

The engine sputtered and then cut as I turned the wheel towards the side of the road and put it in park. Sure enough, Alice pulled behind me and turned off the Jeep. My heart started hammering in my chest when I saw the door open and two little legs swing onto the road. Alice closed the door and walked to my door cautiously. I glanced over when she stood by my window, my face felt pale and sweaty and I'm sure I looked absolutely frightened. She eyed me warily before cracking a small smile and shaking her head.

"I think it's time we had a talk," she said, opening my door.

.

The inside of the Jeep was warm, much warmer than my truck. I warmed my hands in front of the heaters, trying to will my hands into becoming unfrozen. The 40 minutes of tensely clutching the steering wheel had taken its toll and my fingers had crackled when Alice first pried them off of the steering wheel with her small, equally cold hands and led me to her jeep. She remained quiet as she drove but I could feel some sort of excitement emanating from her, like electricity. With a huge smile plastered on her face, she drove very quickly towards Port Angeles. Neither of us spoke a word. Within 15 minutes, she pulled off to a restaurant and parked. I looked at her questioningly but she was already halfway out the car door.

The restaurant was one of those old Ma and Pa places that sold anything from hamburgers to crab legs to pies. The place had a few couples scattered across the dining room. A blond haired host approached us; his dumbstruck face was glued to Alice. She smiled a little mischievously and leaned in to whisper something in his ear. Without anymore than a nod, he grabbed two menus and led us to a booth in the very back in an emptier section. The row of booths was cut off from the rest of the room by a half wall topped with an ornate glass embellished with a frosted scene of a pond. Alice delicately slid into one of the stalls while I collapsed on the plaid cushioned seat.

"W-what can I get you to drink?" The host asked, his attention only riveted to Alice. She glanced at me, offering me to answer first.

"Lemonade, please," I answered finally, my voice sounding just as unstable as the poor hosts. He turned to me with a quick glance looking surprised another person had accompanied them to the booth and the quickly turned back to Alice.

"Two lemonades please," She said, smiling. The host stood another second and then bolted to the kitchen.

Alice let out a light laugh. "I thought that guy was going to fall over! Did you see his face?" She laughed again. She opened her menu and took a look. I remained stock still in the booth, staring stupidly at her. She scanned the pages for a second before glancing up and looking at me through her eyelashes. She sighed and set the menu down.

"Bella, breathe. Please. You look like you're about to pass out." She said calmly. It was true, I felt green all the way to my toes. The emotional rollercoaster of today was starting to take a toll. The host came and set the glasses on the table, beaming at Alice before taking off for the host stand. As if on cue, a short waiter came over and stood brandishing a pad of paper and pen.

"Hello ladies," he said smoothly, although his attention (again) was only to Alice. "What can I offer you this afternoon?"

"I don't know if I'm that hungry, Bella, what do you want to eat?" Alice asked.

I glanced down at the menu and picked the first thing I saw. "Mushroom ravioli, please." He jotted it down and the left with a wink.

We sat in silence for another second before Alice quirked an eyebrow. "Bella, just let it out."

"Did you bring me somewhere public so I wouldn't make a scene, or something?" I asked.

Alice started chuckling, her forehead falling into her arm resting on the table. "You make it sound like I'm breaking up with your or kidnapping you! No, I brought you here so we could have a chance to talk without you running away, or driving a way." She added, casting a small glare my direction. I ducked my head slightly. Alice was a little scary sometimes.

"Bella…" She started slowly, gauging my reaction. My heart fluttered – here it was. The big showdown. I knew I wouldn't be able to duck around any questions. Hopefully, though, she would be willing to answer mine as well – it seemed only fair. Then again, she held all the power here; I just hoped she would realize what exactly the curse could cost me.

"Bella, what exactly _is it_?" She asked.

"…I don't know." I answered truthfully.

She studied me for a second before continuing. "Would you tell me now if you _did_ know what it was?"

I thought for a second on how to proceed. My mother had ordered me to never tell anyone about the curse, which I would have to obey, but Alice had figured it out. Could I explain the details of the curse without my symptoms returning? Should I even explain the details to her?

Sensing my hesitation, Alice held her hand up. "Bella, I know we've only been friends for a few days, but I want you to know – you can trust me. I would never use this…_thing_ against you."

There are times – like now for instance – when I know I should have thought about what I say before I go ahead and say it. But instead I just blurted out, "Alice, what are you?"

It was Alice's turn to freeze in hesitation. She sat immobile in the booth for a full 30 seconds before deciding on whatever she was internally battling with. She took a deep breath and her eyes seemed to glaze over.

"Two people…..a man and woman, mid-fifties. She's in a blue dress…he's in khakis. He has . . . peppered hair. They'll come in…right…now,"

I was lost. What was she talking about? Just then, the bell on the door jingled. I looked up expectantly as two people walked in, each wearing a long tan trench coat. Sure enough, when they removed their coats, the woman had a grandmotherly dress that reached down to mid calf, and he had on a dark grey sweater and khaki tailored pants. I sat mesmerized by the girl in front of me. She…saw that. Somehow. Just as I opened my mouth to speak, she continued.

"Crash in the kitchens." The unmistakable sound of plates falling to the floor was heard behind the swinging kitchen doors on the far side of the restaurant.

"The boys will laugh and clap." From out of the back room, our waiter and the overly zealous host came out laughing and clapping. I heard them congratulate the poor waitress who came out a millisecond afterwards, her face bright red and tears forming in her eyes.

"Her name is Rebecca. She will wait on a young man in the corner who will make her smile. Before he leaves, he'll ask for her number and she will give it to him." She said monotonously. She blinked several times and seemed to pull out of whatever trance she had been in. She looked at me expectantly.

"No. Way," was all I could manage to get out.

"You see, we each have our own little secrets," She said, pushing the glasses of lemonade my way. "Drink up, you look like you're about to faint again." I picked up the glass and took a sip. I must have been thirstier than I thought because I quickly chugged down the glass of lemonade before reaching for the other.

"Alice," I set down the glass and looked at her hesitantly. "You're family…can they do what you do too?"

"No," She said shaking her head. "This is my gift."

"Well…what _else_ is different out your family?" I couldn't help it, I had to know. It seemed too much to be asking, I mean, if I made this girl made or upset her in anyway, she had the power to make my life a living hell.

"You're smart Bella. People can sense it about us, but no one usually asks questions. It's not in human nature to look to close at things. They accept them for what they are or avoid them." She said leaning back in the booth and looking at me almost with a sense of pride. "But that secret isn't mine alone to share. I hope you understand."

"Oh, I do!" I said quickly, still trying to gauge any sense of annoyance at my persistent questioning. Just then the short waiter came over, carrying a steaming plate of wonderful smelling pasta. He set it down in front of me and turned to Alice again.

"Sure there isn't anything I can get for you?" He asked, lifting his eyebrows in what could possibly be considered a suggestive manner.

"Not here, no," she said flatly. She glared after him as he retreated from the table. "That was getting old." She said leaning her chin onto her arm and staring excitedly back at me. "Bella, can I ask you a few questions?"

I gulped down a bite of noodles and then took a deep breath. "It's only fair. Fire away."

"How long has this been going on?"

"The…curse….has affected me my whole life." I said, taking another bite.

"So to sum it up, you have to obey any order given you?"

"Yes, but it has to be direct, like 'Take your shoes off' or 'Go back to wherever you came from'." I grimaced remembering Lauren's order.

Alice smiled sympathetically. "That night, where were you headed?"

"Phoenix. It's the town I lived in before here. I've moved around a lot, as you can imagine. Phoenix was big; it made it easier for me to go unnoticed."

"How did you manage before you moved to Forks? I'm not saying this to be mean, but it's only been a few days and you're already 'out-ed'," She said tilting her head to the side and waiting.

That stuck a nerve, even though I knew she hadn't said it to be hurtful. I had been wrestling with that same question ever since I left her and her family waiting on the steps of the school. "My mom," I said quietly. "She handled everything. Whenever I slipped up or someone found out, we would pack up and leave. She taught me to be careful…or so I thought."

"Where is she now?" Alice asked, although I could tell she probably knew what was coming.

"She died a month ago."

"Oh Bella," Alice said, her face clouding over. "I am so sorry."

I shrugged. That seemed like a good blasé reaction. Nothing that would push me over the limit and start the waterworks again. My eyes fell to the table and I pushed back the tears. I set my fork down on the table, I suddenly wasn't very hungry. I breathed in deep before looking up at here and smiling.

"Didn't you already know that, Miss Seer?" I joked.

Alice's face went blank. "Why would I know that?"

"Oh, I just thought you would have 'seen' it." I said, using my fingers to quote. Alice took time to think about what she was going to say, her forehead pulled down slightly so a little troubled dent formed between her eyebrows.

"For some reason, none of us have an affect on you." She said quietly.

That caught my attention. "What do you mean an affect?"

Alice paused again, probably wondering if she should continued, but she pushed on anyway. "Other members of my family, Jasper and Edward in particular, have talents like I do. From what we've gauged, none of us have an affect on you. Well, at least Edward and I don't"

"So you can't see my future – "

"No! And let me tell you it's frustrating as hell when I'm trying to keep tabs on you!"

"When were you keeping tabs on me? Are you…following me?" I asked. Nothing would surprise me at the moment.

"I'm not pulling a creeper stalker shtick on you Bella," she said rolling her eyes. "After you left that one day from the cafeteria, I got really worried. I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to up and leave when I was still trying to figure out why I couldn't see into your future. And then today Edward -" She suddenly closed her mouth quickly.

"What about Edward?" I asked. "Your brother hates me…you were there in the hall, you saw how he acted around me. Then when we went into class, he looked like he was going to get sick just sitting next to me."

"Don't jump to conclusions about Edward, Bella. There's…more going on there. I promise. He was the one that asked me to try and find you and talk you down. I was going to anyway," she said quickly. "But he was so worried when he saw you driving away, he wanted to make sure you were okay."

I sat there quietly letting that bit of information sink in. Out of all the surprises, the fact that Cold-Shoulder Edward had the warm and fuzzies for me was probably the most surprising. Thinking about Edward, I remembered something she had mentioned.

"You said that Jasper and Edward had gifts. What are they?"

"Edward can read peoples minds. Well, except for yours. Jasper can affect emotions, like calming down an overexcited crowd. It's a two way thing though; he is also affected by other people's emotions." I thought back to all the times I had been near Jasper that I would have been able to feel his power. I remembered my first day in class when I had been so upset about Mom, and then how I felt better out of nowhere. That sudden calming feeling…it's must have been him.

"Edward can't read my mind…and you can't see my future? Is there something wrong with me?" I asked.

"Nothing's wrong with you Bella, but i wonder if the curse has something to do with it. I have a few ideas, but nothing positive. I'd like you to talk to Carlisle sometime, if you wouldn't mind, he may be able to help you."

Panic surged through me again. "Does your entire family know?"

"No Bella, the only person who knows anything is Edward. I didn't say anything outright to him, he just sort of saw it, you know, in my head." She said trying to assure me. "It's one of the downsides of having a mind reader in the family: you need to keep your thoughts in check. All that my family knows about you is what they have seen themselves. They also know that Edwards and my talents don't work on you. They don't know anything about the curse."

"Alice," I approached carefully. I knew I could trust Alice, something deep in my gut told me this was okay, but I needed to hear it straight from her, not just get a feeling. "I really need to know…can I trust you and your family? This is important; life threatening possibly. I need to, you know, protect myself. I just need to hear you say it."

Alice locked her gaze with mine. "Bella, my family…is different. Not just with the special gifts, in a way that…could be harmful to anyone that is in contact with us." She said this quietly, leaning over the table towards me. "I'll tell you this though – we would never betray you. This curse, whatever it is, won't hurt you if I or my family can help it."

I studied her for a minute and thought it over. A small part of my brain was still shouting for me to head for the hills. Letting someone in, especially people I could care about, just couldn't be a good thing. In one way or another, someone would end up hurt. But the thought of finally having someone to talk about, other than my mom, it was…an interesting thought. I would have someone to help me. I could at least see where this leads. If things got out of hand, then I could run, but until then I could try this.

"Okay." I said. I couldn't help but smile. Alice's face lit up and she got up (extremely fast) and ran around the table to hug me.

"I've never had a best friend before!!" She squealed, squeezing me tightly. I laughed and hugged her back. She let go and stood at the table. "I suppose we better go and rescue your truck, good thing I had the gas can in the back of the jeep."

I laughed again. "See how much of a pain I already am?"

It was Alice's turn to laugh this time. "Don't worry, you're not even _half_ as much a pain as Emmett is!"


	10. Scientific Method of Edwardism

The science room door and I were having a stand off. So far I was winning, but I'm sure the science door would have to win in the end. I tried to raise my arm to open the door, but my arm felt far too heavy to lift.

It was the day after my near escape to Port Angeles and the big reveal between Alice and me. The bell had already ringed for first period, but I couldn't bring myself to take the three steps forward and enter the room. I had spent the rest of the night after Alice had dropped me off at my car and most of this morning psyching myself up for this moment: facing Edward.

He didn't like me, he had made it very clear during class – how was he going to feel about me now? The reason behind his attitude towards me was still a mystery, but now that Alice had confided some of her family's secrets I have a feeling that Edward would be even more distant. I hadn't had time to dwell on it at the moment, but it hadn't escaped my attention what Alice had told me about Edward; he can read minds; except for mine for some reason. It seemed too outrageous to be true – these powers were only things of myth. I couldn't wrap my mind around it. Alice asked me to keep an open mind with my opinion of Edward, and I trust her…so I would have to take another leap and trust her brother, no matter what strange powers he possessed.

Finally I took three quick steps (before I followed my instincts of turning and running) and opened the science room door. I entered too quickly though, adding too much force to open the door and I stumbled in. Mr. Banner paused as I righted myself and picked up my books. A low snicker started in the back of the room, as my face blushed fiercely and I quickly headed to my seat.

I kept my eyes off of the other person at my table as I fell unceremoniously into my chair. Even without glancing over I could feel his eyes on my red face. I opened my notebook and pulled out a pencil and listened to the lab Mr. Banner was assigning for the day. Edwards gaze shifted towards the teacher, but I had the distinct feeling he was still keeping rapt attention to my every move.

"Identifying onion root cells," Mr. Banner began. "Will be today's lab. I've mixed the slides up in each case; it's you and your partners job to identify each slide with their correct phase." He picked up a box off of the front table and started to walk around the classroom. "The first team to correctly recognize each slide will receive two points extra credit and will be exempt from tonight's homework." There was a loud rustling as backpacks around the room were tore open and books pulled out onto tables.

There was a split second of silence after this as I pulled the textbook from my bag when I heard an angelic voice next to me. "Hello, I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself yesterday. I'm Edward Cullen."

I froze. Then as I turned slowly back to the table, I dropped the heavy textbook. So fast I barely saw it, Edward's hand reached out and grabbed the book midair, depositing it lightly onto the table.

My head snapped up in his direction and met his gaze. His eyes were tense, but his expression held no anger. A silent communication went between us as our eyes locked; an understanding. He knew I knew. I knew he knew. There was a mutual knowing-ness between us. Mr. Banner came by our table and placed the plastic container of slides near our microscope. As soon as it had begun, the moment passed and I quickly turned my head away.

"Bella," I said, quietly, my eyes glancing over once. He nodded, then opened the container and pulled out the first slide.

The next few minutes were probably the most awkward of my entire life. Edward and I proceeded through the beginning of the lab so tense, that whenever any interaction between the two of us happened, whether it was simply naming the slide or handing the microscope over to the other person, I would jump in my seat or he would tense up.

"Anaphase," he said quietly, but I jumped regardless. I held my hand out, my fingers shaking a little as he handed over the slide. Our fingers touched lightly and a small shock ran through my fingers. I jumped again, the slide falling to the table, making a small tinkling noise but not breaking. We both stared at the slide for a split second, then we both looked up and our gazes met again.

I'm not sure whose chuckle started it, but right at that moment we both started to laugh.

The class became dead silent at our sudden burst of laughter. Any tension between us fell away as we looked at how ridiculous we were both being. All eyes in the classroom were locked on us. I looked around awkwardly when I managed to control my laughter and was met with everyone's stunned expressions. Most were more pointed towards Edward, but a few were scanning the both of us. Even Mr. Banner had a look of silent shock on his face. Apparently, Edward wasn't the sort of person to burst into mirth in the middle of class.

Edward and I looked at each other, both a little embarrassed out our outburst. Edward recovered first.

"Maybe we should start over," He said, a smile in his voice. "Hello, my name is Edward Cullen. How are you?" He held out his hand for me to shake.

I smiled and shook my head at his joke. "Hello Edward, my name is Bella Swan." I said, taking his hand. His hand felt just as smooth as it looked and was firm. It was also freezing cold. I glanced up at him, but the same smile was held in place.

Another split second of silence followed as we arranged the next slide. I glanced through the scope's lens and quickly identified the slide.

"So how do you like Forks?" He asked conversationally.

I looked over at him to see if he had any mockery in his eyes, but his face was filled with innocent curiosity. I turned the question over in my mind, wondering if there was a right or wrong answer.

"It's…okay?" I answered, like a question.

He glanced at me, his golden eyes laughing. "Are you sure?"

"…sure I'm sure. Forks seems awesome…." I didn't really try to make myself sound convincing.

"Are you miserable here?" He asked suddenly, his eye seems to bore into mine.

"No, not miserable."

"But not happy."

"No, not happy," I don't know why I admitted it. It was silly to be so openly honest with someone who had hated me up until this morning. It just seemed….right though, to talk to him, to open up. It was one of the strangest feelings I've ever had.

"I'm sorry if that has anything to do with me," He said quietly, writing the last phase on the paper and raising his hand.

"It doesn't," I answered, dropping my gaze to my notebook. Not even I could have tried to believe that one. He let out half a laugh, his face filled with a sudden sadness.

Mr. Banner came over; interrupting what was sure to become another awkward moment and looked over the answers.

"Did you think Isabella didn't need to learn the lab today, Edward?" Mr. Banner asked, looking over the top of his half glasses.

"Bella actually identified 3 out of 5," Edward answered a little haughtily. He raised his eyebrow at me as Mr. Banner glanced at me over his metal rimmed glasses.

"Have you done this lab before?" Mr. Banner asked as he jotted down a few notes in his grade book.

"Never with onion root," I answered.

Mr. Banner muttered something and then stamped our papers with a 'Complete'. The rest of the class groaned slightly and stopped doing the lab, turning to each other and other tables to start up a conversation.

"Of course, the rest of the class must do the lab to receive points for today." Mr. Banner said loudly. The rest of the class jumped back to where they were and scrambled to finish the lab in the last few minutes of class.

Edward and I sat in silence for several minutes. There were so many questions I wanted to ask him, but I was terrified to at the same time. Would he answer them anyway? Would he be angry if I came right out and asked? I looked up timidly at him and found him staring with extreme concentration at me. My face reddened 2000 shades, but I did my best not to look away. He tensed a little, observing my flushed face, his grip on the table looked rigid. He swallowed loudly and looked to the front of the class.

"Edward, are you o-"but before I could finish, he grabbed his backpack and bolted from the class. Mr. Banner called after him, but right as he did the bell rang.

I sat for a brief moment, looking at the space where Edward had been only seconds before. What had just happened? I picked up my books and took off for my next class.

"Hey Bella, wait up!" A voice called from a ways back. I groaned quietly to myself as All-American Mike came striding up, an enthusiastic grin on his face. It was the end of my…unusual day, and I was desperate to get to the safety of my truck and head home. I had avoided all commands, a first for me in my new life at Forks High. If I could just make it to my car, I will have broken my stellar record of "0 Days Avoiding the Curse". I glanced longingly at the front door that everyone was heading out but then placed a friendly smile on my face.

"Hey Mike," I responded politely. "What's up?"

"Nothing much, just thought I would walk you out to your car," He replied, throwing the door open in a flourish and waiting for me to walk though. So he wasn't a jerk or anything, even if he was a little over zealous sometimes. I smiled before I could stop myself and walked through.

The parking lot was crowded and bustling as everyone was either attempting to head home or was standing in traffic-blocking clusters. Mike (in what I admit was a very suave move) placed his hand on the small of my back as he attempted to guide me through the busy lot towards my truck on the opposite side from the school. My face flushed slightly – while not quite unwelcome, such an intimate gesture felt…foreign. I wasn't used to being treated so sweetly by members of the opposite sex.

Mike seemed to be walking a little taller as he meandered us through a group of students who all pointedly watched us walk through. I couldn't help but feel a little like a show dog.

A sudden feeling of being watched swept over me. It was weird, the way my skin literally felt electrified. I looked in the direction of the school, and there in a secluded section of the lot were the Cullens. Rosalie was sitting in an extravagant red convertible while Emmett was gracefully sliding into the passenger seat. In one quick and fluid movement, she turned and looked directly at me, glanced up at her siblings and spoke a few angry words and then peeled out of the parking lot. Alice and Jasper was standing leaning against a silver car parallel to where the red car had been seconds before. Alice shook her head dramatically and got in the backseat. I saw her glance one final time in my direction before Jasper gentlemanly shut the door behind her.

It was Edward who was staring directly at me during this entire scene.

His eyes bore into mine; conflicting emotions apparent even from the other side of the school lot. He had a tense grip on the side of his car, his body half turned towards the passenger side door, the other turned towards me. Jasper stood silently closing the door behind Alice. Glancing up at Edward and then over at me, he frowned slightly and then made a grab for the keys in Edwards limp hand. Unusually fast, Edward moved his hand just in time and grinned, finally tearing his eyes away from me. Jasper punched him playfully in the arm and they both got in the car without a second glance my way.

"Earth to Bella, are you there?" Mike said, waving his hand slightly in front of my eyes. I looked up, startled, not even realizing we had arrived at my truck. Mike was frowning slightly, glancing over at the sleek silver car and then back at me.

"I'm sorry Mike, I'm really distracted today."

We both shuffled our feet for an awkward second. Right as I was about to unlock my door, Mike blurted out, "Would-you-like-to-go-out-this-weekend?"

I started, a little unsure of what I had just heard. "Uh…what?"

"Do you…think we – you and I – could go out sometime this weekend?" He said, a little shakily. I glanced up and smiled at what I saw. All of the cockiness was gone, and nothing but a nervous look adorned his face. This was a very different Mike then what I was used to. He had a puppy dog look to him; his eyes large and hopeful as he awaited my answer. How was he so nervous about asking _me_ out? Weren't any of the rest of the female population at Forks high better suited to Mike's Hometown Hero status?

This was getting out of hand, I realized. I had sworn to not get close enough to anyone to incur even a conversation, let alone a date. I felt the nervous perspiration on my top lip as I tried to think of what one would say to gently let someone down.

"Mike, I don't know, I've never really been on a-"

"Please Bella, I promise we'll do something really fun. Just one, and if you don't like it then I'll never bug you again. Say yes!"

"Okay," I replied automatically as the command was issued. My heart flip-flopped as I realized what had just happened. Mike smiled widely and I tried to return it, but I felt green straight through to my feet.

"Awesome Bella, that's…beyond awesome," He said happily. "Tomorrow, around 6?"

I nodded, still trying to smile. What did the time matter now that I was being forced on a date? Without another word I got into my truck and started it. Mike walked off to his little white Malibu, a slight bounce in his step. I dropped my head to the steering wheel and tried to will back the tears.

I hated this. Just hated it. It was unfair. In a fair world, I would have been able to not give it a second thought. I would have said yes or no to my own will, not be forced to do something just because an overly enthusiastic boy said the wrong choice of words. I did my best to not place any blame on Mike; he hadn't know. How could he?

It was hard not to like Mike, he was sweet and cute, but what he had unknowingly done…

A tear finally fell down my left cheek. I wiped it away quickly and glanced absently as a silver car drove by. I was shocked to come briefly face to face with a very angry looking Edward. His eyes narrowed and nostrils flared as he met my gaze, and before I was sure of what I was seeing, he peeled out of the parking lot and sped down the highway.

**:: AUTHORS NOTE ::**

**I. AM. BACK.**


	11. Lack of Sleep, Lack of Fashion

I didn't sleep that night. When I did, it was just grazing the top of true slumber, like my mind was just teasing me.

_Yeah fine, I'll let you get to sleep…Nah, I'm joking, wake up already._

So I lie in bed fixating on the pair of eyes that were haunting me. I could picture them clear as day, right there behind my eyelids. Piercing, furious, passionate, black….but they would pass right by my vision, disappearing behind the glass of a silver Volvo in a puff of angered, black smoke and I would jolt awake.

My brain was now buzzing and my skin was on fire. It crawled and tightened and I felt too small for my own body, ready to burst out of my seams just picturing those eyes. They penetrated me and I was sure that when they looked they saw every unkind and mean thing I had ever thought. The moment yesterday had been so brief (even though time had felt much slower than normal) but I couldn't get Edward Cullens eyes out of my mind. Angry at my lack of sleep and hungry for something other than food, I finally quit wrestling with my conscious and gave up any attempts at rest for the night.

I pulled a grey sweater over my yoga pants and tank top and wandered quietly down the steps. I opened the sliding glass door and stepped out into the cool night. Charlie's backyard was decent sized with what had once been a sand box in one corner, a dirty plastic dining table and three chairs and an old woven hammock, suspended between the trunks of two maple trees. I tip toed through the dewy grass and gently sat on the hammock. On my second try I was able to sit gently enough to not tip the swing and fall on my ass, so I bravely took the next step and stretched out on its scratchy bed.

The night was cooler than those of recent, but the slightly chilly breeze helped clear my restless psyche. Out here in the night air, it was hard to imagine anything could be wrong in the world. Everything that troubled me during the day was still locked upstairs in my room, twisted in the sheets and panting over a guy that until recently had seemingly hated my existence. Over a guy who was different from anyone I had ever known. Over a guy who had powers even more unbelievable than mine.

I had never thought of there being magic anywhere else in the world. I mean, it may suck, but what else could have made my…_condition_ come to be? Magic. Can I say though, that as far as magical gifts go, I definitely got the short end of the stick. Mind reading, some sort of emotion control, precognition and then the chick stuck with doing what she's told. Definitely the short end of the stick.

I hadn't asked Alice how they had received these gifts though. Were they born with them? Were they created and strengthened over time? Heck – was a witch involved? A magic potion? What about a spell? Magic potions had antidotes, spells had counter curses. These means left hope alive. Hope that some magic gifts could be returned, unbound, gotten rid of or broken. If this gift was apart of me, there was nothing I could do; no part of me I could cut out to be free.

Then again, their talents _were_ different from mine. They could be put their powers to good use; to help people. Altogether they would make a pretty badass Scooby gang. What use was mine? What good could I do?

Alice hadn't explained a lot about her and her family's gifts perhaps because she didn't know. I didn't know the source of my curse; perhaps they didn't know the beginning of their gifts. In the long run, I can't see how they would mind having such powers, so research into how to get rid of them seemed unlikely.

_They could still help though_, my inner dialogue nagged.

Alice had so far proven to be someone I could trust. However bizarre she or her family may appear to be, I had not had my curse used against me by any of them. They had helped me the night in the forest…somehow, and were now putting their trust in me not to spill their deep dark secrets. There was a mutual trust going between us that could either help or hurt me in the long run.

I pulled out of my thoughts and rubbed my eyes with the heel of my hands. I hadn't realized how quiet the forest had become during my time out in the hammock. Everything felt frozen underneath the slight fall breeze. I searched the dark forest, suddenly feeling exposed. Watched. The eerie feeling went right to my core and my arms erupted in goose bumps. I turned gently to my side and faced the woods, studying it. There was no movement in the shadows or eyes peering at me through the blackness but I didn't feel alone anymore.

"Hello?" I whispered, feeling foolish.

I was answered with only quiet.

My eyes were starting to feel heavy. The stressful night was starting to wear on me. I curled up on the hammock as everything I had been concentrating on bounced around in my sleepy mind.

I don't remember falling asleep, but I awoke groggily early the next morning just as the sun was rising, a blanket from the living room draped across me.

oooo

I groaned in frustration and flopped on the bed.

This is a nightmare.

The contents of my closet were spread across my bed, floor, chairs…and there was nothing suitable for a date.

My nervousness over the past few hours was increasing. I had started out (three hours ago) determined: I would be grumpy and distant the entire date, hoping that maybe Mike would want to call the night early and push off any attempts at future dates. Wardrobe would be jeans and the plain t-shirt I had been wearing. Two hours ago I started feeling a little guilty about my first plan. After all, Mike didn't know what he had done. He was a nice guy and had made every attempt to make me feel welcome in a new town. Plus, I would hate to be on the receiving end of any negative gossip. 'Bella the Bitch' didn't sound like a good way to remain unnoticed, not that I was doing a bang-up job of that anyway. So I planned for a nicer outfit; nice red blouse, newest pair of skinnies and converse. I would be passive, non-memorable, but…at least pleasant. Finding out that the red blouse was currently in the dirty pile of clothes in the laundry room shot that plan out of the water. So here I was now, an hour before Mike was supposed to arrive, digging through my wardrobe frantically.

A knock at my door surprised me; followed by Charlie's gruff voice (he had not been happy with my revelation of the impending date).

"Bells?"

"Come on in, Charlie."

He pushed the door open, a pile of winter clothes slightly blocking his entrance. He looked around at the mess, finally falling on me thrown across my bed in defeat.

"I like what you've done with your room."

I glowered at him, keeping my face as smooth as possible. "The Brawny man called, he wants his shirt back."

Charlie looked down at his red plaid shirt and glowered right back. "You have a visitor."

I shot up in panic, looking at the clock. It _was_ still an hour before Mike would be here…so who could be here now. "Oh…okay, I'll come down."

There at the bottom of the steps, clad in her usual impeccable outfit was Alice. She smiled brightly at me as I hopped down the steps. I couldn't help but feel happy to see her; I smiled back and was met with a tight hug.

"Hey Alice," I said as she released me.

"Hey. Sorry I didn't really get a chance to talk to you yesterday," she said, looking a little abashed.

"Oh…no worries."

She looked me up and down, a calculating look on her face. "So…is _that_ what you're wearing on your date?"

I looked down at my TMNT hoodie and old jeans, feeling a little silly. "How did you know I have a date tonight?"

"Bella," Alice said shaking her head and starting to head up in the direction of my room. "This is Forks, everyone know everything. Well, almost," she winked at me and darted towards my room.

Alice's reaction to my room was similar to my dads. She shook her head as I entered, staring gravely at the mess before her. "Bella…"

I nodded, not even needing her to finish.

"Would you like some help?" She offered slowly, trying not to offend me.

"Alice…" I said dramatically. "I would love some."

A half hour later, Alice had me curled, buffed and polished. I hadn't realized that by accepting 'help' I would be receiving a full makeover.

"I'll be right back," Alice skipped towards the stairs. "I have something in my car that might be perfect for tonight!"

Taking a deep breath, I finally stole a glance in the mirror. My hair was smoother than normal, tamed down from its usual do' and into soft curls. My skin seemed to glow from whatever Alice had applied to my cheeks and my eyes were brighter. It was subtle…but still me. I smiled as I admired the transformation as Alice came back in. She smiled at my expression, and held out a clothing store bag.

I raised my eyebrows at her and gave a questioning look at the bag. "I thought you couldn't see my future…"

Her face screwed up into a puzzled expression, "I can't."

"Then how did you know I would need clothing for tonight?"

She smirked and put the bag down on the bed. "Bella, a girl can always use a new top for a first date."

I looked at the store bag and my heart jumped to my throat. "Alice, I can't accept this! It most of cost a fortune!"

"Bella, will you consider this my Welcome to Forks present. Please? I promise not to get you any presents for the rest of the year!" She whimpered, her lower lip pouting just a tad.

"I am going to consider this a loan," I justified, heading to the bed and smiling despite myself. Alice joined in, and I realized that I hadn't won this argument.

My outfit was perfect. I was comfortable but looked nicely put together. The top was medium grey and billowed a little when I walked. Between the top, a long cami, my new skinnies, converse and my Moms old pink ruffle purse, I felt more confident about tonight.

"Bella, I am surprised. This doesn't seem your style," She said, fingering the vintage leather on the bag.

"It was my moms," I said, looking down at my shoes and straightening a lace.

"That's hers too, isn't it?" She said nodding towards my chest. I reached up and touched my mother's necklace and nodded. "What was she like?"

My throat suddenly seized up and felt very tight. I took a deep breath and tried to keep down the sudden onslaught of tears that wanted to fall. I fanned my face and breathed again.

"Oh Bella, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry!"

"No, I'm sorry – I don't know why I'm acting like this." I said dabbing my eyes with a napkin and trying to swallow down the burst of emotion. I looked in the mirror and froze. There staring back at me in the glass was my mother. My eyes widened in shock, hungrily absorbing her face. I blinked and in an instant, she had morphed back into my own reflection.

"Bella, are you alright?" Alice asked, touching my shoulder. I recoiled on instinct – her hand was freezing.

"…I guess it just hit me: she isn't here. My first date and she isn't here to see it." Alice squeezed my shoulder. "But then again, if she were here, I wouldn't be in this mess in the first place."

"What do you mean?" Alice asked.

"We would have moved by now," I explained. Alice sat on my bed and curled her feet under her. "As soon as you discovered my condition, she would have moved us away so I would be safe."

"How many times have you had to move?"

"Too many." I whispered. "She was always so afraid I would be hurt by the curse, always trying to protect me; uprooting our lives so we could run again and again." I wiped the edges of my eyes and looked up at her. "I'm so tired of running."

"Bella, I'm not going to pretend like I know what you've been through your entire life. But me and my family are going to do anything we can to help you. We don't want you to have to run either," She said softly. Suddenly her eyes shot up. "Do you have a cell phone?"

I pulled out the new phone Charlie had demanded I have on me after my incident in the hospital. Alice grabbed it in a flash and programmed her number into my contacts (the only other contacts consisting of the house phone, the police station and 911).

"I have an idea! If at any time Mike accidentally triggers the curse, you could just give me a call and I'll counter it!"

She looked so happy at her idea that I didn't have the heart to shoot it down with all the details. My symptoms could kick in before I would have a chance call her; how would I explain the sudden phone call to Mike? But I pushed all these pessimistic thoughts down and smiled. "Sounds like a brilliant plan to me."

There was a knocking on the front door and my heart jumped to my throat again. Alice gave me one last hug before following me down the steps. Mike was waiting for me at the door, looking nice in jeans, button up and a smile. Charlie scowled from the entrance and leaned against the living room wall.

"Wow, Bella, you look amazing," Mike said, smiling even wider. Charlie cleared his throat.

"11, Bells," he said shortly and turned and walked to the kitchen.

"Hey Mike!" Alice chirped. Mike looked surprised, clearly they had little to no contact before this.

"Oh hey, Alice," He looked unsure over at me and then her.

"I was just helping Bella get ready. Hope you have a nice time! I have my phone on me if you want to talk later, Bella," She said pointedly, communicating her double meaning.

I nodded, "Thank you so much, for everything, Alice. I'll have my phone on too."

She waved one last time and walked gracefully out the front door. Mike's eyes followed her and then jumped back to me. "This is going to be great, Bella. I thought we could drive into Port Angeles, see the new movie that came out and grab some dinner. Sound like a plan?"

"Sure," I didn't mind, I just wanted to try and get through tonight without an order. I reached for the front door, but Mike chimed in hurriedly.

"Allow me," He said reaching for the door knob. My hand snapped back automatically, allowing him to open the door for me.

So much for no commands.

As I walked out on the front porch, I caught one last look at Alice through the window of her yellow sports car. Her phone was to her ear and she had a look of deep concentration on her face, speaking in a serious manner. Before I had a chance to study her longer, she sped quickly down the street and out of sight.

**:: AUTHORS NOTE ::**

Bella's outfit is up in the photos section on my profile.

PLEASE go check out From the Dust, my new(er) Twilight story. I just posted the new chapter and I'm very excited for the progression in both stories.

I'm also curious to hear theories for this story. Throw them at me! I want to see what you guys are thinking!

I command you to review.


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